Rokudaime's Legacy
by Obsessive Child
Summary: With the death of all his teammates, Naruto falls into a state of depression. Tsunade does the only thing she can do... make him the jounin instructor for a genin team strangely resembling team 7...
1. Meet the Brats

Timeline: Happens almost 3 years after Pein arc. Danzo never became Hokage

Disclaimer: In my imaginary world, all this is truly mine :) But... life's never how you want it to be...

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Chapter 1- Past Wounds

He stood across from her, hands on hips and a grin on his lips. Golden blond hair hung around his face in a manner reminiscent of Jiraiya's, but oddly reminded her of Minato. Black gloves stretched across his hands, a style only worn by one other… Sakura. His shirt was a navy blue, Sasuke's favourite colour if Tsunade remembered correctly, and a jounin vest over it as Kakashi had always done. Tsunade wondered when Naruto had started living in the past.

"Hey old hag," The blond said loudly, "What'cha calling me here for?"

She sighed, unfolding her arms and leaning forward slightly, ignoring her discomfort as the desk edge dug into her chest. Ash blond hair trailed forwards, slipping over her shoulders and spilling across the table. Warm hazel eyes hardened, her grandmotherly nature falling beneath her Hokage façade. "Naruto… it's been two and a half years."

"Two years what?" He asked as if he didn't know, turning his head away. "Hey sorry old hag, I just remembered something that was more important than a monthly check-up, so if you'll excuse me…"

He sensed something off about this no doubt, and of course he would. Naruto was probably, the one who knew her best. He knew that she was uncomfortable with this subject, and he was giving her the option of refusing this duty. Of course he would, and Tsunade had often taken him up on the offer. He was waiting for her to give a slight smile and mutter a comment about ill-mannered brats no doubt, then dismiss him; it was a routine of theirs. But this time, she couldn't take the easy way out.

She brought her fingers together, steeping them in a pattern reminiscent of her old sensei. The slug princess felt a pang deep within her chest, was she really the last of her team? Immortality… bah. She didn't understand why Orochimaru would want such a thing… to stand on the sands of time and watch as your friends and family wither away. She shook her head, shaking away her misplaced memories. "Actually, I would like you to stay; I have something important I want to tell you."

His expression flickered to something akin to confusion, his scrunched up cheeks highlighting the six lines slashed across his face, making him oddly resemble a fox. "What?"

Her lips twitched in spite of herself; some things never changed. Still, she had to keep serious. What she was about to ask after all, was a very serious question. "Naruto… I'm old, I'm tired, and despite my youthful appearance-" there was a snort, followed by 'you're the one keeping it youthful old hag' "-I am well above 60 years old. Now as you know, it is at this age that a ninja's strength starts to wane and it's only their experience keeping them alive…"

Naruto's eyes suddenly narrowed, the suspicion leaking out of him stronger than any killing intent. "What are you saying old hag?"

She felt her lips curl up in a sad smile, had he figured out where she was going with this so quickly? He had changed indeed… "What I'm saying is… I think it's time for me to step down as Hokage…"

His eyes widened, "What?!"

"I said," Tsunade replied slowly, "That I think it's time for a new Hokage."

Naruto took a step towards her, an almost alarming expression on his face. "You're not serious are you? I thought you were just going to ask me to do a super taxing job for you or something with all that stuff about how you were too old. Who can take the title of Hokage if you're not doing it? Come on old hag, I mean you're old but you're also one of the Three Legendary Ninja! You're also umm… the world's best healer, the terror of all men, and…"

She didn't know whether to sigh at his social insensitivity or to laugh at how she had misjudged him. Despite surpassing Minato and Jiraiya in ninjustu, Naruto was still the blundering fool in the social department. So he hadn't guessed her true purpose after all.

"Naruto." She said sharply, and he shut up. Even he could distinguish between her Hokage mode and her normal personality. "I have already picked my successor."

There was a long silence.

A variety of expressions flickered across Naruto's face; surprise, sorrow, joy, and finally, pain. "Who?"

Tsunade's serious expression finally cracked, "You!"

Naruto froze. For a moment, Tsunade thought he would jump up and start whooping for joy, as he surely would have done two years ago. He would then hug her of course, and run off to tell all his friends even though she'd tell him it was a secret. He was that kind of boy. She thought… and she hoped.

Naruto's voice was blank when he replied. "Don't joke about this old hag."

That sad smile appeared on her face once again. So it was going to be like this. "I don't joke about serious things like this. You know me better than that."

Naruto shook his head fiercely, blond locks flying, "You can't be serious, you don't understand. I can't become Hokage!"

"Why not?" Her voice was flat, she knew, but she couldn't seem to put any more inflection into it even when she tried. She had known that this was a possibility, but seeing it happen still hurt. A lot. "You're the one who established close friendships with the Kazekage and new Mizukage, you're the one who obtained a strong alliance with the Raikage, you're the one who defeated the leader of the Akatsuki and can safely be said to be the strongest in Konoha, you're the one who earned respect from all the higher ninja's even when it seemed impossible! You had a dream Naruto damn it, why can't you see it through! I'm not handing you this job on a silver platter, you've finally earned it!"

She was breathing heavily by the end of it, and was surprised to feel tears trailing down her cheeks. Dimly, she was aware that she really could not keep calm, and that was perhaps what made her unpopular with the council. Naruto could do better than her she knew, even if his temper was worse. He had that ability… to make everyone his friend. They wouldn't want to hurt him. She wasn't nearly so good. She was a force of will, a revolutionist, a respected ninja… but she was not _friends_ with many people. Jiraiya had understood, but he was not here right now.

A soft sigh jerked her out of her thoughts. "It's not that I think- I just… can't. I don't think I can handle the responsibility."

She knew what he was referring to, knew it and hated it. Would he be forever scarred by that mission with Sakura and Hinata? The loss of Team 7 and Jiraiya? Shikamaru was right, no matter how she hated to admit it. Tsunade had always let Naruto do as he pleased, and now she was sorry for it. He needed time, she had told herself, just as she had. An old woman's folly. She had thought that she knew him best, and that allowing him to travel the world when the threat of Akatsuki was gone was a good thing. Now she realized… that he was doing exactly as she had done before she became Hokage.

Her lips compressed themselves into a thin line. She sympathised with him, she understood _why_ he did this, yet… yet… "Was it not you who told me not to live in the past?"

He looked away, guilty, where once he would have jumped up and argued with her until her throat was sore. Her heart ached at the loss.

"Naruto," Tsunade said gently, willing him to look at her, to look at her concern for him. "I know you haven't been doing a lot of the things you've always willed yourself to do; learning new jutsus, training yourself… why have you lost the will of fire?"

This made his head jerk back; his eyes ablaze with something that made Tsunade's hopes rise again. "I haven't lost the will of fire!"

"Haven't you?" She asked quietly, forcing herself not to smile. "It seems to me like you don't have a purpose in mind anymore."

"I do," Naruto responded fiercely, taking a step forward. "I want to protect this village!"

Tsunade's eyes glittered like gold, "And what better way to protect it than to become its Hokage?"

"I-I-" Naruto stepped back, his expression changing from argumentative to slightly desperate in a second. "I just don't think I can be the one to initiate that. I can't… protect people. I'll follow whoever shares my ideals, I'll help them, but I can't be the one to do it. Not me. Please grandma, pick someone else…?"

She felt like she wanted to cry. When had he lost it, how had Tsunade not noticed? She had never heard him plea like this before, and it broke her heart. She swallowed thickly. "Very well, I won't bother you about becoming the Rokudaime anymore, but…"

She didn't give up that easily.

His posture instantly relaxed, and he leaned forward again with a slight interest gleaming in those blue crystal orbs. "Yeah?"

A tired smile made its way up her face; in some ways Naruto was so very predictable. It was a good thing, that he still acted like himself as long as 'that incident' was never mentioned in any way, shape, or form. But it was unfortunate for him, that Tsunade had set her mind on him becoming the Hokage. Besides, it couldn't be healthy, what he was doing.

She grabbed onto the set of papers she had been preparing, and held them out to Naruto. He looked at the files in confusion, and she let out an indulgent smile. Perhaps he could learn to protect again. "It has been almost three years since you made jounin, so I felt it only fair that you were assigned a genin team like everyone else. These are the files on your future students."

His head snapped up so fast she could have sworn she heard his neck crack. His mouth dropped, face a picture of disbelief. She couldn't help the evil smile.

"You can't be serious!" Naruto shouted, flailing his arms around humorously, "I'm like, practically ANBU, I can't go around teaching little brats the basics of ninja!"

It was on the tip of her tongue to mention that Kakashi had been an ANBU captain before becoming his teacher, but she restrained herself. After all, Naruto didn't know that little fact, and Tsunade had the feeling that Naruto wasn't even over Kakashi's death. Instead, she allowed a self indulgent smirk to spread across her lips, "But you are jounin, and as jounin, you are expected to have a genin team. Neji for instance, has a team under him, and despite disagreeing with me at first, he has come to love his team. In fact, they're ready to enter the Chuun Exams this year."

"That asshole," Naruto grumbled, "Getting used as an example… But hey, I'm like, a sage! I should get special privileges or something, and not have to take care of some little brats…"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Naruto, when you were a kid, you were more of a brat than anyone I've ever met in my entire life. And trust me; I've lived for a very long time. You can hardly complain about this."

"But- but- but-"

Tsunade sighed, flapping the files in her hand, "Naruto, I could order you as the Hokage to do this."

With a sneer, Naruto turned his back on her, arms still crossed across his chest. She could practically imagine him pouting. How in the world had he managed to be diplomatic enough to secure an alliance with the Raikage? He acted so childish… and he had started walking towards the door.

"Naruto!"

"Yeah, yeah," The blond replied in a disgruntled tone, "I'll do it, but I don't need the files. I'll get my own impression on them."

With that, he was gone, and Tsunade was once again left with her own thoughts. She sighed, feeling lonely, the exact reason she had always called Naruto here in the first place. She had been feeling lonelier and lonelier these past few years, with Shizune and Sakura gone… It was partially the reason why she didn't want to be Hokage anymore; she didn't feel as if she could stand the isolation. Naruto had been very helpful since he came back of course (using his kage bunshins to do her work), but there was only so much paperwork he could do for her that wasn't classified information. She felt… trapped in this job. She wanted to explore the world again, see all the famous gambling sites, drink the wonderful sake of Water Country…

But there was of course, a darker reason in her wanting out. The truth was, Tsunade was getting old. During the Pain fiasco, she had used almost all her chakra healing Konoha, leaving her body…

She didn't want to tell Naruto, she didn't want to even imagine how he would react. She understood, understood that Naruto hardly had any parenting figures in his life, and she was the only one left. She would have to remain until he gained back his sense of bonds, until he fell completely in love with his genin team.

And he would pass them, she knew that. Would pass them because he was too kind to not pass them, and would pass them because of how much they resembled his old team. Tsunade had, after all, chosen them for that reason. Though… she wondered how he would treat them. The old Team 7 was after all, not the best example of how teams should work.

Kakashi, wouldn't let anyone close for fear of losing them again. Sasuke, whom had his whole family slaughtered in front of his eyes and his idol turn murderer. Sakura, who was too concentrated on Sasuke to see anything beyond him, and finally Naruto, who had never known love until he was thirteen.

Would this team of genin have the same fate as the old Team 7? Or would Naruto find a way to connect the three individuals with tragic pasts? Only time would tell… no, no, what was she saying? Of course Naruto would prevail… when had she started doubting him? Tsunade shook her head slightly, of course Naruto would bond them: he had bonded with Gaara, Neji, Sasuke, her, and even the new Mizukage. But… maybe that was just the thing. He _had_.

* * *

Ichiraku ramen tasted like ash in his mouth.

Okay, so his brilliant plan of going to the ramen shop to cheer himself up hadn't gone as well as he would have hoped, but ramen really did cheer him up! Usually. It was just that, today he was too confused. On one hand, he really appreciated Tsuande's love for him, on the other hand, he didn't feel like he had any problems, and he certainly didn't feel like taking care of little brats. He remembered how Konohamaru had been at that age, was he ever annoying! Actually… Konohamaru was still very annoying right now…

"Naruto nii-chan! Naruto nii-chan! What did the Hokage want with you?!"

What did the Hokage want? For him to be Rokudaime? Was assigning him a genin team supposed to be a punishment for refusing? This was so stupid, especially when he could be of far more use elsewhere. He was an assassin, not a… a teacher! He had long ago passed the point where he thought he was good at everything, and even if he wasn't, Tsunade should have been able to pick for him what he was truly good at. Just what was she playing at? The chaotic thoughts swirled around in his brain, making him feel like he couldn't even stomach the food in front of him. Choji would be shocked. And it was all that old puss's fault…

"Why are you giving the old hag such a respectful title?" the blond muttered sourly in reply, slamming his chopsticks down. The bowl of ramen wobbled, almost spilling over.

Konohamaru stared at the bowl with wide eyes, then slowly raised his head to give Naruto an awed look. "Was it that bad?"

Okay, so maybe he was a little annoyed. Naruto sighed, giving his self-adopted brother a sheepish grin. When he started abusing his ramen, there was no denying that he was angry. "That old hag assigned me a genin team."

"Ohh… OH!" Konohamaru turned away, suddenly extremely interested in the clouds.

Naruto felt suspicion rise steadily, and felt his eyes narrow of their own accord. "What do you mean, Oh?"

Konohamaru bowed his head, and Naruto could practically see him biting his lip. Suddenly, the black haired boy turned around, staring determinedly into Naruto's sky blue eyes. "Nii-chan, we've been worried about you."

Naruto felt his body stiffen, and couldn't quite force himself to relax. It had been part of jounin training to gain the ability to lie efficiently with the body, but he had never been very good at it. He was uncomfortable with this subject, and Konohamaru could tell. "Why are… you worried?"

For once, Konohamaru's voice was dead serious, "You've been gone for two years helping and making alliances with other countries under the Hokage's orders, but I know you asked for them so you can avoid Konoha. Even I can tell… that incident has affected you a lot hasn't it? Every time your teammates are mentioned you freeze up, it's like you're a completely different person. You're not getting over it… and that's why we're worried."

"That's not true!" Naruto burst out angrily, automatically. He didn't have a special reaction whenever they were mentioned; he was just… who wanted to talk about death anyways? He avoided the topic because he didn't like dwelling in the past and wanted to look to the future… right?

"I can't dissect you like Shikamaru can," Konohamaru said sadly, "But please, because of our bond, listen to me."

Naruto wanted to snap something back, something about not using the word 'bonds', but he restrained himself. 'Bonds' were painful, 'bonds' were… when had he started thinking like this? Naruto sat back, staring stupidly at the child who just then so rightly resembled his grandfather. Had his thought process changed this much? There was a time he remembered; when he had thought bonds were everything. And in a way, he still did; he couldn't bring himself to hate the word, no matter how much he wanted to.

He stood up suddenly, shaken. "I… I need to go."

"Naruto nii-chan…" Konohamaru whined. "We never get to hang out together anymore…"

Naruto ruffled the little guy's hair, ignoring Konohamaru's protests. "You've just given me a lot to think about is all, I'll see you later."

"Wait!" Konohamaru called out as Naruto felt the chakra gather up within him, "Remember that the graduation is today at-"

But Naruto was already gone, running speedily past everything and everyone. In seconds, he arrived at his destined place. Truthfully, he didn't need Konohamaru to tell him when the graduation time was, he already knew. After all, didn't he spend most of his life yearning for that time? Naruto plopped down on a flower bed, letting out a soft sigh. Yuck, he really didn't like these moments of deep thought, but he knew he had to have them. Really, they were the only way he could ever hope to find what was wrong with himself, and improve somehow. Still, he didn't like it. He found that people who though too much tended to live in a more depressing world, sad and hopeless. Sasuke was a prime example.

"_I may have betrayed Konoha… but I never betrayed __**you**__."_

Naruto felt his breath hitch as the memories flooded him. He quickly pushed them back down, not wanting to relive his brother's death again. No, he didn't need to think about _that_. Then again, maybe he did. Both Tsunade and Konohamaru had mentioned in the past week that he froze when he thought about his teammates hadn't they? Neji, Shikamaru, and Gaara have also mentioned it in the past. Maybe he needed to think about his reaction.

Naruto didn't think he reacted any different then- Well, he knew he reacted, but wasn't it the same as anyone would react if someone brought up old, dead, teammates? And also, those teammates had died for _him_. He didn't _want_ people to die for him. Maybe… that was why he didn't want to be Hokage? Because he knew people would die for him? Yeah, that made sense… that must be it!

Naruto jumped up with a smile, glad he had solved his problem. Now maybe people wouldn't be so worried. He nodded to himself, yes, he had solved… wait, was the sun already halfway to the horizon? Blue eyes widened, oh no, he was late! Was this why Kakashi was always late, because he lost track of time with thoughts like these? He quickly turned to face the general direction of the Academy, and with a few handseals, he was gone.

He… overshot. Scowling, Naruto tried again a few times before he finally made it to the academy. The two years he had spent on chakra control should have allowed him to perform the shunshin no jutsu perfectly, so why did he overshoot? Sure, he would never had perfect control like Tsunade did, but his control was reasonable nonetheless. Was he… distracted by this feeling?

Naruto sighed and walked through the academy, guiltily noting that the halls were empty. Finally, he stopped at a familiar door, the door he had faced everyday for seven years. About to open it, he suddenly paused, instincts telling him there was a trap on the other side. Glancing upwards, he spotted a small board eraser wedged between the door's crack, and felt a familiar wide grin spread across his face. Seriously, how had he ever thought that such a trick could fool a jounin, who had years of sensing and avoiding traps? Boy, had he been stupid back then. It was lame, and really not deserving for a Master of Pranks. The question was… should he play along?

Containing his grin, Naruto pushed open the door and walked in. Losing its support, the eraser fell down, bonking Naruto on the head. Loud laughter filled the room -from the person who set the trap no doubt. The jounin gasped, falling to his knees as his vision blacked. The eraser had been harder than he had expected, and it had hit a sensitive part of his head. Collapsing on the floor, it was all Naruto could do to stay on that edge of consciousness.

The laughter got louder, "Woah! Hahaha… I can't believe someone just got knocked out by an eraser board! Hahaha!"

"Mister? Mister? Are you alright? Oh no look at his vest… it's our jounin instructor…" A female, sounding worried. "You knocked him out! Tsutanai, how could you?"

"But how could, a jounin be knocked out like that?" A low tenor muttered quietly, too quietly for the other two to hear.

"Hey?" Tsutanai, -Naruto could only assume- asked obnoxiously as his laughter died down, stepping closer to the fallen blond. "Hey seriously! Are you alright?"

Naruto felt every step vibrating the earth, telling him the boy's exact position. When the boy was only a few inches from the blond, Naruto's hand suddenly shot out, clamping around the Tsutanai's ankle. Rolling back his eyes so only the whites showed, Naruto slowly lifted his head, letting his other senses inform him of the boy's exact position. "You… I want revenge!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Clutching his stomach, it was all Naruto could do to keep from rolling around on the floor in laughter. Pointing a shaky finger at the boy, Naruto shakily got up, "You- oh hahaha! I have never heard a boy scream that high. Oh man… hahahaha!"

Wiping a tear from his eye, the jounin smiled brilliantly at his team, staggering out of the way of an incoming fist just to make the offender look bad. Sure enough, unable to stop his momentum, the black haired boy fell down face first. It was all Naruto could do to keep from guffawing again.

The boy looked up, glaring, and Naruto really couldn't help but break into a new round of laugher. The boy looked hilarious with his black hair sticking out in all angles, face twisted slightly by the scar running from his left eye to his mouth. Wait… scar… kids this age shouldn't have scars like that. Naruto had gotten so used to them on seasoned war veterans that he had hardly noticed, but now that he thought about it… perhaps this was why jounins were forced to take genin teams? So they wouldn't get too hardened by fighting?

He instantly sobered up, stretching out a hand to the boy, "Hey, want some help getting up?"

The boy slapped his hand away, an annoyed expression on his face, "Who needs your help? You're two hours late. I have better places to be than here, and you've wasted my time."

Naruto sighed, pulling back his hand. Great, now he'd alienated the kid. Oh well… he was never one for being polite about personal problems anyways. The blond crossed his arms, a scowl spreading across his face. "Well, I have better places to be too, so now we have something in common. You're disappointed that your eraser trick didn't work, and I'm disappointed that you thought that it would work. Now we have another thing in common. However, refusing help just for the sake of refusing help… I don't understand that at all."

Tsutanai brutishly picking himself up from the floor, "Well then, it's a good thing I'm not you."

Inwardly, Naruto couldn't stop grinning. Yeah, Tsutanai didn't seem to get the lesson, but at least the kid had guts. Sounded familiar…

Just then, an olive skinned girl bounded over, her long reddish-brown hair falling to veil her face as she bowed. "Hello sensei."

It was the feminine voice from earlier. So all that was left was… Naruto turned his head, locking eyes with the perceptive boy. Ash blond hair neatly fell across his head, giving the grey-eyed boy an almost angelic look. Naruto gave a slight nod, as if to say 'good job'. Grey eyes widened slightly, but the surprise was quickly hidden again, disappointing Naruto. With an inward sigh, Naruto turned back to the girl, but made sure his next words were loud enough that all of the room's occupants could hear. "Let's go for a walk, I'm sure you've all got stiff legs for sitting here for so long."

"And who's fault is that?" Tsutanai muttered sourly.

Naruto ignored this, and started to walk towards the exit. The other children followed him, and with some grumbling, Tsutanai did as well. When they finally reached the outside, Naruto breathed a sigh of contentment. He loved the outdoors, away from the stifling walls and nagging confinements. Glancing back at his new students, he couldn't help but wonder if they shared his thoughts. The blond held the bored expression perfectly, seeming as if he didn't care. The scarred one looked too angry to really appreciate the outdoors, but the girl looked relieved. Naruto floundered for a moment as they walked across the fields, unsure of how to start. Finally, he decided to steal Kakashi's methods.

"Alright, let's start with some introductions! My name is Uzamaki Naruto, I like ramen, and I dislike snakes. My dream for the future… you don't need to know, and my hobbies are also irrelevant to you. Alright, Your turn!"

He could practically feel the stares of disbelief that the academy graduates were giving him, but finally one coughed and started. "My name is Yaiba Fugi, I like swords and learning, I dislike Tsutanai because he's constantly asking me to go on a date with him,-"

"Hey!" Tsutanai shouted, crossing his arms.

"-my dream for the future is that I will make my clan proud, and my hobby is… um…" She cast a shy glance at the ash blond.

Naruto felt his lips twitch; this was starting to sound very familiar.

A low, mellow voice startled the jounin out of his thoughts, "I am Maekawa Loki-"

Maekawa… Maekawa… why did that name sound so familiar?

"-there aren't many things I like, too many things I dislike, and I do not have a dream so much as a… ambition to kill a certain man."

Naruto felt his chest tighten, this was… this was… that old hag must of planned this! The resemblance was insane! He couldn't deal with- how could Tsunade do this to him? But perhaps, Tsunade wanted him to make sure the same thing didn't happen with Loki as it did Sasuke? Forcing himself not to react to harshly, he nodded towards Tsutanai to continue.

The black haired boy quite frankly looked a little freaked out by Loki's statement, seeming to have forgotten his earlier anger at Naruto. Still, at the jounin's nod, he managed to puff out his chest, "I'm Kato Tsutanai, I like danzos, I dislike how most people don't eat danzos the right way, and my hobby is pranking!"

Naruto tried not to stare; did this kid know Anko or something?

"My dream…" Tsutanai continued, "Is to surpass the Hokage and make everyone acknowledge me!"

Naruto gave the kid a dour look, "Good luck with that."

"What? You don't believe me?! I'll show you...!"

Naruto saw Fugi give Tsutanai a kick. "Idiot," she hissed softly, "This is our jounin instructor; we have to listen to him!"

"I don't mean to discourage you," Naruto said loudly, ignoring the banter between his two students, "I simply wonder if acknowledgement is the only reason you have for wanting to become Hokage."

Instantly, the field became silent. Fugi was openly staring at Tsutanai, and Naruto could tell that Loki was watching the black haired boy out of the corner of his eyes.

"Well…" Tsutanai replied after a long pause, "…yeah. But listen Mr. Naruto, I don't care if you don't think that's a good enough reason, because to me it is, and I will definitely achieve the title of Hokage!"

Naruto didn't reply, and simply kept on walking. He could feel the tension rising from his students, but didn't do anything to dispel it. In a way, this felt like an elaborate prank, but in others, it was much more serious than that. True, jounins weren't really supposed to discuss this with 13 year olds, but when had Naruto ever followed the rules? He felt… that they deserved to know the truth.

He came to a stop.

"Hey…" Tsutanai's voice, "This is… the Hokage Monument."

His favourite thinking spot, regrown and rebuilt. He remembered what the ground was like three years ago, wreaked and destroyed as it was. Vividly, he replayed the final scene with Pain, and the abrupt end. Taking a steadying breath, he turned towards the genins. "I'll be frank with you, being a ninja is not easy. No… you already know that, but what Tsutanai said got me thinking.-"

Both Loki and Fugi glared at Tsutanai, and the black haired boy seemed to sink into himself.

Naruto waved a hand, drawing the attention back to him, "No, don't blame Tsutanai, it was a good point. You don't… seem to know the point of being a ninja do you? You have to be ready to die at any given moment; for your mission, for Konoha. Your life is almost guaranteed to end at a young age, and don't think that by being a good ninja you can escape this! See those faces up there? Which one of the Hokages died at a reasonable age? Sandaime is the only one I can think of. And don't you think that all the ninjas of the village would try to protect the Hokage? Most likely, they died too in the attempt. Being a ninja… is not about cool jutsus or super abilities, it's about protecting Konoha with everything you have. If you're not willing to do that, then you shouldn't be a ninja."

For a moment, all the three academy students did was stare at him- shocked. Tsutanai finally broke the silence, his tone barely above a growl. "Why are you trying to discourage us after all the hardships we went through to graduate?! I already told you, I don't care about your opinions so you can keep them to yourself! No matter what you say, I'm definitely going to become Hokage and my mark will be carved right up there along with the rest of them!"

Naruto felt the grin before he could stop it, then decided that it wasn't such a bad thing. This kid just reminded him so much of himself when he was younger… he wondered if Tsutanai would also display the same arrogance at training. "Good, then I guess we'll see if you're just all talk tomorrow. Meet me in training area 11 at 10am sharp for survival training, and we'll see if you're good enough to be genin."

"Hu-hun?" Tsutanai scratched his head, "I thought we were already genin."

Naruto smacked himself on the head, giving his team a sheepish grin. "Oh duh! That's what I forgot. Actually, academy graduates aren't automatically ninja, they have to pass a test first with a 66% failure rates. Usually, only nine academy graduates become genin… hey, hey! Don't look so white guys; I'm sure you'll do fine. There's always next year right? Hey, no scary glare please, it's mean to kill the messenger… sheesh. Anyways, be sure to bring all your weapons and… umm, if you want to eat breakfast I guess it's okay, just be sure you have a strong stomach… right well, see you tomorrow!"

Giving the pale white genins a sunny smile, Naruto turned and disappeared. It wouldn't do to _not_ have a dramatic exit after all. Ha, this did feel like an elaborate prank, something that he mournfully noted didn't work on Konohamaru anymore. It was going to be fun playing with these kids…

The eighteen year old sage found something he hadn't felt in a long time… anticipation.


	2. More Like Bullying than Teaching

Chapter 2- More Like Bullying Than Teaching

Tsutanai clenched his eyelids together in frustration, throwing down the jutsu scroll. The letter swam around in his brain, making it impossible for him to understand. How dare that stupid jounin trick him like that? How dare he imply that Tsutanai couldn't possibly pass the genin test and become Hokage? The tall blonde's words kept running through Tsutanai's head, making it impossible to concentrate.

Tsutanai would show him! He would show that dumb jounin that Tsutanai wasn't just the traitor's son, and didn't deserve to be looked down upon! He would show _Naruto-sensei_ that the dead last could become the best, and that marks didn't mean anything!

Grr… how he hated his mother. It was her fault that he had ended up like this. Why did she have to betray Konoha and leave him like this? Why did she have to get executed right after he was born and make the villagers hate him? Why… Tsutanai gulped, feeling a familiar sting in his eyes. It was so stupid; he thought he had gotten over this. Shaking his head, he deliberately reached forwards and claimed the scroll again. No, he was definitely over it; it was simply time to make the villagers get over it to.

Yeah, his detestable mother was a traitor, but he would prove to them that he wasn't! Tsutanai would show them all, and when he became Hokage no one would dare look down on him! This genin test… psh, he could pass it no problem! For a future Hokage, it would be easy! He would surprise the jounin with his awesome skills and definitely pass the test, he could do it. Smiling confidently now, Tsutanai opened his eyes again, studying the scroll. He would win, and show the world he was a true ninja!

* * *

"So I heard you met your jounin instructor today…"

She felt her heart leap in excitement, chopsticks clanking faintly against her bowl as her hand twitched in eagerness. Perhaps now that she was a ninja, her father would pay attention to her… it was a wonderful feeling. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled slightly, nodding. "Yes, father."

The whole table feel silent, her two siblings stopping their chatter to watch the exchange. They probably also knew how rare it was, for Yaiba Senji to talk to her. After all, after her older brother had died three years ago, their father hardly ever talked to any of them.

Yaiba Senji looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then gave her a solemn nod. "If I remember correctly, one has to pass another test to become a genin. You won't fail; the Yaiba name cannot be disgraced."

Fugi pressed her lips together, willing herself to not say a word. Expected her to pass? Not disgrace the Yaiba name? She should have known her father wouldn't have wanted to talk to her for anything other than that disgusting name. Since when was the last time her parents had cared about… no, she shouldn't think like that. After all, she had it a lot better than others didn't she? Loki for instance, didn't even have parents, and Tsunanai didn't have a distinguished clan.

That was why she liked Loki so much, admired him beyond reason. He had it all, and lost it. He was the one keeping her own problems in perspective- if they could even be called problems. He survived, did the best in class, was strong… and he didn't have as much as she did. Loki was her inspiration, helping her realise how spoiled she had been before she met him. She was lucky… and she should like her family name. It was something to be proud of, something others would die to have. So then… why was it so hard?

"Fugi!" Her father said sharply, expecting an answer.

The second born daughter bowed her head, her auburn hair veiling her face. "Yes father, I won't fail."

* * *

Loki traced the outlines on his mother's face, the photo rippling slightly beneath his fingertips. A smaller version of himself stood beside his mother, a wide smile spread across his glistening cheeks. He remembered that day clearly; he had been crying about something his brother had said, but his mother had managed to cheer him up for this photo. Loki's hand left the photograph, checking to see if… but no, his cheeks were dry now. His heart had turned cold, too cold for his mother. He wouldn't be able to cry until that man was destroyed, that man who had betrayed them all.

The despicable man he had once called father, had looked up to, had idolized. A master of their bloodline limit, he had slaughtered them all, all of Loki's family. Loki didn't know if it was luck or a curse that he hadn't been there that day, had been sick the hospital, but in the end it didn't really matter. He would avenge his family, his mother especially, and rid the world of that vile thing that called himself a Maekawa.

But he was too weak now, much too weak… yes he was the top of his class, but he wouldn't trick himself into thinking he was strong enough to take on his father. After all, hadn't his father been a jounin before he murdered his family? He would have to surpass that level at least if he ever hoped to defeat his father, and that meant he would have to pass this stupid genin test. No, he would not fail, his goal was too important. And he would not let anyone stop him either. He had made a promise to his mother, and he would keep it, even if it meant burying his heart for all eternity.

He laid the photograph down carefully, smoothing out the edges. Now was not the time to reminisce, now was the time to train… because he _couldn't_ fail.

* * *

"You're late!"

Naruto scratched his head, a sheepish grin on his face. Looking down at the fuming Tsutanai and narrowed eyes of the Yaiba, he couldn't help but be reminded of other times. "Hehehe… yeah, I'm sorry about that. I um… got lost on the road to life?"

The three didn't look like they were buying it. Truthfully, Naruto had overslept slightly. He had stayed up all night trying to devise this test in a way where he wouldn't hurt the three genins. After all, most of his techniques were… not tame. He wasn't one of the best assassins for nothing after all, his techniques were meant for killing. So… he had wasted a bit of their time by oversleeping, but they had wasted his time by making him think up of ways to teach them. It was a fair trade, no?

Laughing a little nervously at the three glares he received, Naruto rumbled through his pack for the clock he had forgotten. Setting it down on a log, Naruto held up two bells and tried to give the three soon-to-be-genins a serious look. "This timer is set for noon, and your task is to retrieve these two bells from me before the time is up. Those who don't get bells get no lunch, you'll get tied to those stumps-" He pointed to the beat up looking logs "-and you'll have to watch me eat my delicious ramen in front of you."

The three gave him looks varying from stunned to incensed, and Naruto guessed that all of them had taken his advice and not eaten anything for breakfast. Excellent…

"One person only has to get one bell, but since there are only two, one person will definitely be tied to the stump…" Naruto continued, then snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. "Oh yeah, and anyone who doesn't get a bell… fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the academy. You may use whatever weapon you have at your disposal, and remember that I am a jounin, so if you don't come at me with the intent to kill you will definitely not get a bell."

"But, sensei…" Fugi bit her lip, "You'll get hurt!"

Naruto cocked his head, giving the dark skinned girl a long look. He liked her, because of how much she reminded him of someone else he knew, but… "You're nice Fugi, it's very sweet to care about the enemy, and this just shows how much of a kind person you are. However… ninjas fight with the intent to kill, are you sure you can be a ninja?"

Fugi bowed her head, quivering. Seeing this, Tsutanai stepped forward, shaking with anger.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that!" The black haired boy shouted, pulling out a kunai. "She was just trying to make sure you'd be okay, and you have to go and insult her? What kind of teacher are you supposed to be?!"

With that, Tsutanai threw the kunai.

Really, after fighting Akatsuki and numerous other missing nins, it was surprising how slow a kunai thrown by a genin could be. The hardly the slightest bit of effort, Naruto slipped his own kunai out of his pack and threw it at the first, spinning the first in midair and launching it back towards Tsutanai. It skimmed the boy's weapons pack, ripping the fabric and causing Tsutanai's weapons to spill onto the floor.

The three genins stared at their sensei in surprise, clearly not expecting this level of skill. Truthfully, it wasn't as much as some other jounin could do with their weapons, but to a couple of kids Naruto knew it would look impressive.

"It was not my intention to insult you," Naruto said slowly, staring intently at the girl. "It's just that I had a friend who was much like you, kind and sweet but forced into to ninja career by her family. It destroyed her; I don't want the same happening to you. There are other jobs out there."

Tsutanai actually looked a little shamefaced, but the next second he was back to looking stubborn. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but someone beat him to it.

"Fugi is a great ninja," Came Loki's calm melodious voice, "She does not need to revisit her options."

The girl stopped shaking, looking up determinedly at Naruto. "No sensei, I was just afraid that I was going to hurt you."

Naruto's grin was so big it almost split his face, "I think… I'm starting to really like you guys."

Three small smiles spread across the children's faces.

"Right then…" Naruto crossed his arms, "I think it's time to… START!"

Instantly, the area filled with smoke, and Naruto had to force himself not to start sensing for chakra as he instinctively did nowadays. A moment later, the field cleared, and all his students were gone. Well… almost all of them.

"Come here! And fight me!"

Naruto scratched his head, giving Tsutanai an odd look, "Yah know, the most important thing for a ninja is to be able to hide themselves well… like what Loki and Fugi are doing right now…"

"I don't care!" Tsutanai shouted, his arms behind his back, "I'm going to do this my way!"

Naruto let a feral grin spread across his features, "Well, I guess I can't say I was one of those hide and wait ninjas either. Alright, bring it on then."

With a roar, the dark haired boy charged at Naruto, fists swinging. Naruto ducked at the last second, something he could afford to do because of Lee's rigorous taijutsu training… and felt the tips of his hair singe. What…?

Eyes widening slightly, Naruto turned swiftly to follow Tsutanai's path, and found the boy's fists coiled in fire. Ah… so that must have been why Tsutanai kept his hands behind his back, so Naruto couldn't see. The boy must have done the handseals when the smokescreen was up… smart.

"That's pretty good," Naruto commented as Tsutanai came at him again, dodging the boy's clumsy punches. "But not good enough. First lesson in ninjutsu, it's all about surprise. Once an enemy has seen it once, it can easily be avoided unless you develop a strategy. That is why you usually hide first, so you have time to develop a second or third strategy in case your original fails. Otherwise…

"_**Suiton: Chinbatsu tsuchi no jutsu!**_ (_**Water Release: Sinking Earth Technique!)**_"

Finishing the last of his handseals, Naruto released the chakra he had been gathering and spat at the ground surrounding Tsutanai. The instant the spitballs made contact with the ground, the sand turned into mud. Eyes widening, Tsutanai tried his best to get out, but it was too late. The boy was already up to his knees in mud. Tsutanai kept on sinking until only his head was visible. Wide amber eyes strained to see Naruto, "But… but… how?"

Naruto wagged a finger, crouching down to his student. "You lose. If you show an enemy your jutsu, 9 times out of 10 he will have a counter. Act fast on what time your jutsus buys you, or don't act at all. After all, it is better to have an ace up your sleeve. Now I've got to go and see if the others are suitable to become genin, so I guess you'll just have to stay there until noon… see ya!"

"Hey! Hey! You bastard! You're not just going to leave me here are you? Hey!"

Laughing merrily, Naruto continued on his way, 'straining' his hearing to find where the others might have run off to. An ace up his sleeve… It was something he himself had never done when he was a child, but something he sincerely regretted now. In the three years of travelling the world, Naruto had finally learned what importance it was to have a 'secret weapon', and he wished he had learned it sooner. It could have helped… a lot.

Just then, a shuriken came whizzing out of the woods. Naruto barely jumped out of the way, a feeling of excitement welling up within him. A trap! A moment later, as if he had stepped on an invisible wire (and secretly he wondered if he had), more weapons came flying out at him, forcing him to dodge left, right, and… Catching one of the kunais, Naruto hurled it back at its source, forcing a young girl to jump out of her hiding place.

"Not bad," Naruto breathed, "If I didn't have my amount of stamina I'd definitely be out of breath right now."

"Thank you," Fugi smiled, pulling out one of the two swords strapped to her back. Without waiting a moment, she charged.

Naruto intended to dodge the direct stab when suddenly her sword went sideways, bending to the left. In another instant, her sword shifted up, seemingly for no reason. All before she had even come close to him.

Blue eyes widened, and Naruto felt a huge grin of excitement take his face. This was… the Furo sword technique! He had only seen it once before, when he had been defeated badly by it five years ago. After that, Naruto had begged and pleaded to be taught, but the old woman who had shown him the Furo technique just wouldn't teach him, saying it was something one's life had to be dedicated to. It was amazing, amazing, amazing, something he didn't even think he had a counter to right now! The technique had no flaws, something Jiraiya himself had admitted to. What luck, to see it in one of his own students!

But… Naruto's elated grin faded as he continuously dodged the strokes. The sword style Fugi was using had a lot of flaws -probably because she still needed more practice- and she was only using one hand. When the old woman had done it, she had used both swords, one arm covering the weaknesses of the other. Also…

Suddenly, Naruto's hand snaked around Fugi's wrist, stopping her attacks. Using momentum from her drive, the blond flung her across the field, throwing several kunai after her.

_Thump, thump, thump._

Naruto walked over to the disappointed girl, held to the tree only by her clothes and his kunai. She was six feet off the ground, and even Naruto had to look up to meet her face. "Lesson number two- Taijutsu. Be sure you know what type of taijutsu to use in certain situations. The technique you did today for instance, while it is an amazing technique, it's practically worthless when it's not done well. Also, it is a defensive technique, using it for offense greatly weakens its effects. Next time, be sure to check what types of styles to use before you try them."

Fugi turned her head away, but Naruto could tell her green eyes were filling with tears. Oh…no. He waved his hands frantically, trying to correct whatever mistake he may have made. "Hey, hey, don't cry! You did great for a beginner and-"

He was cut off by the dozen shuriken hurtled straight at him. For a moment, he wondered if the girl he had pinned was a kage bushin, then remembered that such a jutsu was impossible for a normal genin. It must be Loki!

Dodging out of the way, Naruto whirled and hurled a shuriken back. Loki darted to the left and ran, successfully avoiding Naruto's weapons. With a grin, Naruto gave chase. Would there be…?

Suddenly, Loki turned, launching himself straight at Naruto. Wondering what the thirteen year old was planning, Naruto briefly contemplated on dodging out of the way. But… with a feral grin, Naruto also threw himself at Loki; he had never been much of a 'fall back' type of person. It was just then that he realized, 'Loki' didn't have a chakra signature.

Eyes widening, Naruto spun in midair, barely avoiding the explosion of the explosive tag. The bells jingled on his hip in warning, and Naruto had to quickly cover them with a hand to make sure they didn't fall. The jounin landed with a laugh, turning towards the strong chakra signature hidden in the undergrowth. "Impressive, a bunshin covering a shuriken thrown with an explosive tag attached. You've figured out my fighting style this early... I must admit I almost fell for it."

Loki stepped out of the bushes, an air of calm radiating from him as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Thank you, but you will find that I am different from the others."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, locking eyes with the genin. "Say that when you get a bell."

Loki smiled, and Naruto quickly realized that he had indeed, fallen for the same trick twice.

Suddenly, Naruto's vision turned dark; everything around him disappearing. The scents, the noises, and even the feel of the constant fabric against skin was gone… Naruto shuddered, he felt completely alone…

And then he remembered.

Calling up his will, Naruto hurled the genjutsu back at the caster. The darkness instantly left him, and Naruto saw Loki stumble and fall. With a sigh, Naruto silently thanked Itachi for his gift and walked forwards to the ash blond. Tying him up securely, Naruto gave the Maekawa a sharp poke, awakening the grey eyed boy. The boy was trembling slightly. Feeling a little worried -after all no one liked being alone, and that genjutsu was done extremely well- Naruto awkwardly patted the boy's shoulder in hopes of reassuring him. The trembling finally stopped.

The blond jounin grinned at the unfocused look Loki gave him. "Lesson number three- genjutsu. It only works if your will is stronger than your opponents', otherwise it could very well backfire on you. Still, it was a pretty impressive genjutsu for this age, most people don't cover all five senses like you did."

The boy looked down, still obviously completely dissatisfied with himself.

"Truthfully…" Naruto continued thoughtfully, trying to remember if the stuff he was saying was actually true, "That was amazing chakra control. Perhaps even better than what I have now. Hey, don't give me that disbelieving look! I just really suck at chakra control…" Or used to anyways. He hadn't tried any genjutsu since mastering the sage techniques, and Naruto wondered now if he could finally do them. After all, sage techniques _was_ all about control… it was a theory he'd have to test out soon. "Anyways, you weren't lying when you said it'd be different from the others, but just remember difference isn't always a bad thing. That's why you're placed in teams after all, so your partners can cover your weak points and vice-versa."

Whoops, he may have said too much there.

Before he could accidently give any more hints, Naruto quickly got up to leave. Smiling blindingly at the genin in hopes of distracting him from what Naruto had let slip, the jounin decided that it was time to check… the time. Flashing through familiar handseals for the Shunshin, Naruto was out of the area in a second…

…and bumped right into Tsutanai opening the lid for the instant ramen. Amber eyes widened, and the small boy tried to slowly shift away. He didn't make it two steps before Naruto's hand clamped around his shoulder.

The jounin's body started to shake, his voice low. "Nobody… and I mean NOBODY ever takes MY ramen!"

Naruto couldn't have said his judgement was all that clear for the next few seconds, but it was with vindictive glee that he looked upon his final product. Tsutanai, tied completely to a tree trunk, unable to reach anything and stomach growling with hunger.

"You- you- BASTARD!" Tsutanai screamed, "I was just trying to 'look underneath the underneath'! You don't have to punish me for it!"

For a moment, Naruto felt sorry for the brunette. After all, hadn't he also been in that position? However, he ruthlessly squashed that feeling down, thirteen year old Naruto had deserved it and so did Tsutanai. Eating all the food that was also supposed to be for your teammates? Disgusting. He had to break that habit from Tsutanai now. After all, no pain no gain.

Ignoring the screams from the black haired boy, Naruto settled down on another trunk and started eating the bowl of ramen Tsutanai had previously opened. Waste not want not after all. The screaming got louder, almost drowning out the ring of the timer as the minute hand hit 12.

A few minutes past noon, Loki and Fugi finally stumbled into the clearing, one looking furious and the other disappointed.

Naruto tapped his chopsticks against the edge of the bowl, grinning, "Wow… you guys look really hungry. But hey, I've got one piece of good new for ya…"

The glares instantly turned hopeful, excited…

"You don't have to waste another year of your life at the Academy!" Naruto chirped.

"Hell yeah!" Tsutanai screamed, "I knew I was great!"

Loki simply looked down, but Naruto had already seen the corners of his lips curve.

"You mean- we- we- did we actually- all three of us?" Fugi stammered, green eyes wide with joyful disbelief.

"Yep," Naruto said with the same cheery expression, "All three of you should quit as ninjas!"

Dead silence.

For a moment, Naruto was uncomfortable with the looks of betrayal and hopelessness the genins showed, but he consoled himself with the fact that they needed this lesson. A lesson he himself had learned too late. "Really, you guys seemed more intelligent at this age than my old genin team; I thought you guys would have figured it out. Seriously? A child fresh out of the academy defeating a jounin? Impossible. There was only one way you could have had a chance of getting the bells…"

"It's teamwork right?" Loki asked dully, "I realized it after you told me all those things about covering each other. That's why we're split into three-men teams. I'm genjutsu, Fugi's taijutsu, and Tsutanai's supposed to be ninjutsu."

Fugi looked thoughtful at that, her voice sad. "So I suppose the two bells were meant to split us up and keep us fighting each other instead of focusing on the common task?"

.Naruto nodded, turning his back on the three children and walking towards the old, familiar tombstone. "Now I'm not good at human analysis, but even I can tell when you could have helped each other but didn't. Tsutanai, instead of planning with your teammates, you were too determined to do everything by yourself and look where it got you. Fugi, you saw what happened to Tsutanai but you didn't even think of helping him out. Say, by distracting me or something. And Loki… you saw everything that happened with Tsutanai and Fugi, yet you did nothing…

"Now look at these numerous names carved on this stone; these are all ninjas who have become heroes to this village…"

"I don't care what you say!" Tsutanai shouted, "I decided I'm going to get my name carved on there too, no matter what you do!"

Naruto threw him a sharp look, the sharpest look he had given to anyone in over two years. "But these aren't just regular heroes…"

"_I may have betrayed Konoha, but I never betrayed __**you**__…"_

"_Naruto-kun… take care of yourself. Hehe… I've finally called you 'kun'. I remember when you were always 'Sakura-chan' this, 'Sakura-chan' that, and I always refused to call you 'Naruto-kun' back. But I think… I've finally realized that I…"_

"_Naruto… you've given me inspiration to __**live**__, so this death… is exactly how I wanted it to be. Protecting _**you**_."_

Naruto shook his head, clearing away the memories. "These are heroes who have all died while on duty."

Three shocked faces greeted his vision.

"I've already told you," Naruto said seriously, "That ninja will die for the village, but I wonder if you guys have really thought about it. I know I didn't when I was your age. My best friends' name… is also on that memorial."

For a moment, there was silence, but it was disturbed, once again, by a certain black haired genin. "So… so what?"

Fugi and Loki turned to the bound boy, shocked.

"I mean," Tsutanai struggled to continue, "It's all very sad that you've lost your best friend, but you can't just take it out on us! All you've been doing since you've met us, is try to discourage us from becoming ninja, and okay, I get that it may be because you're trying to protect us, but you're still alive aren't you? Just teach us to be good enough so that we'll survive too; I can promise I won't die until I make Hokage, and I don't break my promises!"

For a moment, Naruto said nothing, a little stunned at the insight Tsutanai gave. Then again, wasn't he the one who was always telling others not to underestimate people? "…After lunch, I will give you guys another chance, but I'll make it harder to get the bells. If you still want to give it a shot, you can have the lunch, but don't give any to Tsutanai. It's his punishment for trying to eat all of it for himself. If you give him food, you will fail automatically… got it?"

For a moment, Tsutanai almost looked sad, but his face soon turned resolute again. "Hey, I don't need any food! Yeah, I'm totally fine! And I'll definitely keep my promise! Bring it on sensei, we'll be sure to get the bells after lunch!"

Naruto smiled slightly, and sunk deep into the ground.

Tsutanai's stomach grumbled loudly, but his voice was still cheery, abet a little strained. "Hey, I'm okay, I'm fine. I'll kick sensei's ass… hun?"

"Take it," Came Loki's soft voice, "Or else you'll just drop while we're trying to get the bells. I don't sense Naruto-sensei anywhere, and you'll need you energy."

There was a moment of silence… then, Fugi's laughing voice. "Yeah, besides, I can't stand the noise your tummy is making right now. And… you're the one who got us a second chance, so it isn't fair that you're the one suffering for it. Hurry up and eat Tsutanai…"

"You…" Tsutanai's voice sounded almost teary, "You guys…"

Naruto decided that it was enough. Popping out of the ground, he turned to the three with the furious expression that he had practiced for hours, "YOU GUYS-!!!"

Three pairs of eyes widened, showing shock, regret, disgruntlement, surprise, along with whole myriad of other emotions.

It was all Naruto could do to keep from laughing as he gasped out the last word, "-pass."

"WhAt…?"

He couldn't help it this time, really. The expressions were just too funny.

"Breaking the rules… is bad and all, but abandoning a comrade is so much worse. After all, a mission can be done again, even if it's a little harder, but a person's life cannot be replaced. I don't know if it's insight you've shown today, or instinct, but it doesn't really matter either way. You've proven yourselves to be good enough in my books. Welcome… to the ninja world."

"Yeah!" Tsutanai laughed, his face bright red, "I knew that was your objective all along! Yeah, I'm so great…"

Naruto felt his lips twitch, but forced his face to turn serious as he locked eyes with Tsutanai. "So you knew the objective, but you didn't share with your teammates? I see…"

For a moment, Tsutanai looked panicked, "What-what? No, that's not what I meant at all, I was just- Hey!"

Naruto was laughing again. Boy, when was the last time he had this much fun? Suddenly, he sighed, becoming a little sad, "Hun… since you guys are real ninja now… I suppose I'll have to treat you fairly and not trick you guys so much…"

The three gave him _such_ hopeful looks.

He decided it was… too much of a sacrifice. Naruto grinned at them, folding his hands behind his head, "Nah, you guys aren't jounin yet! I can still afford to kid you."

Tsutanai groaned, Fugi sighed, and Loki just looked displeased. Naruto smiled, it was a good day. "Anyways, you pass, and you'll start your genin duties tomorrow. Remember to share what you learned with each other and meet me in training area 5 at 10am alright? Great! See ya!"

Without giving the new genin a chance to reply, Naruto quickly formed the tiger seal… and poofed out of existence.

* * *

Miles away in a richly decorated and vast manor, an eighteen year old sage jolted in his seat, alien memories of the earlier day disturbing him from his rest.

"Oh bother," He mused, getting up from his seat and abandoning the letter he was penning. "Now I'll have to see grandma to confirm that my team has passed. Even worse… I think I really like those brats."


	3. Fated to be Dysfunctional

Chapter 3- Fated to be Dysfunctional

Nara Shikamaru stood to attention at the Hokage office, hands in his pockets and a bored expression on his face. He wanted to get home and take a nice long bath, but he knew that completing mission reports were vital. Still, he wished there was a process to make it go _faster_.

"Thank you," The Hokage said when he was finally done, looking up from her paperwork. He waited to be dismissed, so he could go home and lie down, enjoying a few moments of rest before Ino found out he was back and he had to kiss his chances of relaxation goodbye. The dismissal didn't come.

Shikimaru straightened instinctively, his mind running through millions of possibilities of why the Hokage had kept him back. It was not like the Godaime to delay, he knew that she liked relaxation almost as much as he did. Was it time to get serious…?

Godaime sighed, seeming to follow his train of thought. "No, nothing like that, I simply want to inform you… that you will be accompanying the genins to the chuun exams this year."

That was… unexpected, even for him. He slouched back down, his eyelids lowering into a lazy expression. Tch, how troublesome. Making him anxious, then telling him he had to supervise some brats again. "The chuun exams at Iwa? May I ask why? I can't possibly be a proctor can I?"

The Godaime set down her pen, giving Shikimaru a measuring look. "No, but because you are my best tactician, and because Naruto will be there. I'm sure that as one of my top advisors with unlimited access to my files, you've already figured out the S-Class secret regarding Naruto."

Ah… he understood now. But still, that left the question of… "Why is Naruto going to be there in the first place?"

For a moment, the Godaime actually looked uncomfortable, but that moment quickly passed. "I assigned him a genin team, and him being Naruto, I am almost completely positive that he will enter them into the next chuun exam."

For once, Shikimaru's quick mind was slow to catch up. "Wait… you assigned him… a genin team?!"

That wasn't good, especially with the next chuun exam at Iwa. Anyone with half a brain could see the resemblance between Naruto and the Yondaime, and Iwa was unlikely to forget its feud.

The Hokage pursed her lips, opening her desk drawer and taking out the academy files. She gestured for him to sit, then flung the stacks of paper to him.

Shikamaru caught them with relative ease, quickly scanning over the contents of the files. When he was finished, it was all he could do to sit back and sigh, "Tch… how troublesome. The second daughter of a Yaiba, the Maekawa, and Kato Tsutanai… how could somebody possibly handle one without alienating the others?"

Godaime let out a small smile, "If anybody could, it would be Naruto."

Shikamaru turned his head to look at the Hokage monument in the window's view, remembering that fateful battle with Pain. "That may be true, but aren't you gambling a bit too much on this one? It would be… considerably safer to assign those three to three different teams."

"Is that your best conclusion?"

Shikamaru stayed silent for a while, contemplating his next words. "I am certain that Naruto will not purposely neglect his students, but you know as well as I do that Naruto has never had a family dynamic before. I've looked in the records, and I know. Kakashi had a past he wanted to forget, and never opened up to anyone. Sasuke was too consumed by revenge, and Sakura as a genin was too focused on Sasuke. As a jiranki, Naruto was not brought up by people who showered him with love, and while he may have found it later on, it was not through conventional means. I think the only reason that he could see love is because of his ability, but not everyone is like him. Naruto will not know how to deal with the jealousy and insecurity of the Yaiba, the feelings of hate from Loki will remind him of Sasuke whom he wants to avoid mentioning, and Kato Tsutanai… well, both are very impatient which will not end well. Godaime, as one of your advisors, I strongly suggest against this."

There was another period of silence. The Godaime's next words were slow, tired, making Shikamaru slightly worried for his Hokage. "I… understand your view, and heed your advice. However, I still believe what I believe. I do thank you for your council, but part of being a Hokage is making decisions despite how unpopular they may be, and I've decided to stick with this."

"…this is for Naruto isn't it?" The question was asked quietly, but the Hokage winced just as if had been shouted in her ear. Shikamaru thought about this, he knew that the Godaime loved Naruto over anything else in the world, but wasn't a Hokage supposed to objective? It would be cruel indeed, but that was what burdens a good Hokage had to bear. It was… unwise to give three children to a relatively new jounin who had never been loved at a young age. Especially three children who resembled said jounin's deceased team. Plus, the Maekawa bloodline limit… Shikamaru knew that he himself would go crazy if the Hokage did something like that to him.

However… Naruto was different. Shikamaru didn't know what that boy would do. Naruto was unpredictable, and Shikamaru found that both frustrating and enduring. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto could pull this off. The blond was not dumb, far from it in fact, and perhaps Naruto actually could bring a team of Yaiba, Kato, and Maekawa together…

He had always thought that Naruto's intellect was a product of his past, and wouldn't have been nearly as bad if the blond had been raised differently. Shikamaru had seen again and again the blond think of and perform amazing battle strategies, which although perhaps would not have defeated a Nara, would have definitely surprised one. He didn't think Naruto was supposed to be dumb, but it was simply the repeated insistence that he _was_ dumb that made Naruto truly think that way. A child's subconscious will, after all, mould its consciousness into what it has heard most often. So it was possible, that with the recent praises, that some of Naruto's intellect could be regained…

Finally, Shikamaru let out a tired sigh, copying the Hokage. "If it were anyone else, I'd say it would be best not to rush it, but with Naruto… I just don't know. Still, it would be safer if we brought him back gradually. I'm worried that with the added stress of his genin team, Naruto will snap. It would be… scarring to children."

Godaime closed her eyes briefly, showing Shikamaru a rare moment of vulnerability. "Yes… I know, but it is needed."

"You've asked him to become Hoakge?"

Godaime gave Shikamaru a shocked look, "How-?"

"He has to be more prepared, I know that the 'diplomacy missions' that you sent him on was partially for learning the ways of Hokage, but he can't possibly be able to handle all the work this soon." Shikamaru continued calmly, willing the Hokage to see reason as her shock slowly wore off. He believed in his friends, of course he did, but at the same time… he didn't want to use belief unless it was a last resort. He still hadn't forgotten his first mission as a Chuun after all. Choji and Neji had came back nearly dead, and Shikamaru knew that Naruto would have too if it wasn't for the Kyubbi. Naruto was not ready to become Hokage, surely the Godaime would see that?

The Godaime gave Shikimaru a tired smile, for once looking her age despite her genjutsu. "You may be a genius Shikimaru, but even you can't see everything. Why do you think I've had Naruto's bunshins do all my paperwork these past months? Goodness, I certainly know he isn't using them for anything else. And you needn't be worried… because Naruto refused the position."

"Refused-" Shikamaru stumbled over the word, for once unable to comprehend the situation. If he had not been sitting down, he knew he would have stumbled. "Naruto? Refused to be the Hokage?"

And in the next second, he understood. He was not Kiba, who would have continued shouting about Naruto's past and how he had _always wanted to be Hokage_, nor was he Neji, who would have coldly glared and refused to believe such a thing. Most of all, he was not… Shikamaru let out a tired breath, leaning back on his chair, eyes drooping partially closed. "It's about Team 7 isn't it? And Hinata? I would never have thought…"

The Hokage shook her head, "I didn't think it would come to this either, but I understand it. After all, it is where I was before Naruto and Jiraya found me, and where Kakashi has been all those years, right up until the point he died. Though honestly, I would have never thought Naruto would be here."

Shikamaru's immobile mind was racing again. Something did not sound right about how the Hokage had said that, something… His eyes widened, and suddenly he felt wide awake. Leaning forward slightly, Shikamaru was careful to keep his voice calm, "Hokage-sama… I mean no offense, but… when you say _here_, and the fact that you offered the position of Hokage to Naruto so early… leads me to believe that you are in fact, not dealing with the recent deaths so easily either."

The Godaime looked at Shikamaru sharply, and opened her mouth angrily to reply. Shikamaru was already calculating the possibilities of what she could say, and how he would reply.

But just then, the door banged open. "Hey old hag! What'ca doing today?"

Shikamaru blinked, sighing softly as he turned to look the boy who had managed to steal the hearts of so many.

"You brat," The Hokage muttered with a soft smile, "You have the ANBU worried beyond belief every time you come in here without permission. Very well, Shikamaru you are dismissed. Thank you for your report, and please do remember that everything said in here today is confidential. _No one_ can know, or there will be dire consequences. Do you understand?"

Shikarmaru narrowed his eyes slightly, but other than that showed no outward reaction. So the Hokage wanted to play it that way hun? He understood, he understood perfectly. She did not believe him, but all the same he had her worried, and she did not want Naruto worried either. Very well, it wasn't on Shikamaru's agenda to tell Naruto until the blond had sorted out his own problems anyway, but he had to look out for his Hokage. Even if the best for her was something she did not realize… well…

With a bow, Shikamaru left the office quietly. It looked like he wouldn't be able to take the relaxing bath like he had hoped…

* * *

Yaiba Fugi fiddled with her swords, sneaking equally anxious and awed looks at her two teammates. The day had been tiring, with their jounin instructor being a surprisingly harsh task master. It had only been five days since they passed their genin test, but they had already done 12 D-rank missions. Naruto-sensei had not allowed any of them to slack off, meeting them at eight everyday, and not letting them leave until six.

And now that they were finally allowed a break… Fugi herself sat under a large Dirr tree to avoid the blazing heat of fire country's afternoon sun, but her two teammates didn't seem to need any refreshing at all. Now that their sensei had left them in able to get another mission, it seemed that all the tensions between Tsutanai and Loki were finally able to be released.

"No, _you're_ the idiot." Tsutanai fumed, glaring heatedly at his opponent.

"If you are going to try to insult me," Loki replied icily, crossing his arms in a dispassionate gesture, "Then please use your own words. It's unbecoming to only copy the phrases of other people, although I suppose it is understandable considering the level of your intelligence. Some people after all, will do anything to mask their inanity by using language that they themselves do not understand."

"Oh yeah?" Tsutanai sneered, his amber eyes burning like the sun ahead, "Like you? Seriously, 'inanity'? Do you even know what that means? I bet you don't!"

Loki snorted, tossing his head like a master to servant, "Like I need to explain myself to you."

Tsutanai grinned like a fierce predator, putting his hands on his hips in a gesture of triumph. "Ha! So I was right, you don't know what it means!"

Loki's grey eyes narrowed. Taking a furious step towards the black haired boy, the blond seemed to almost snap his next words. "Inanity: meaninglessness or senselessness that suggests a lack of understanding or intelligence."

For a moment, Tsutanai looked confused, but quickly covered it with a smirk. "Ho-ho, got you to take back your words didn't I? Can't miss a chance to prove you're right eh?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Loki spat, clenching his fists, "You're the one who won't back down!"

"Ha you pretentious freak, no more big words anymore eh? You act like you're so much better, but really you're just like the rest of us. Get off your high horse you bastard, 'cause guess what? You're _not_ better!"

Looking incensed, Loki took another step forwards, his normally pallid face tinged a furious pink.

Fugi gave a little gasp; as she always did when it came to this part. The normally blond ice prince had finally lost his cool. For some reason, it never ceased to surprise her, although she had to admit she was getting more and more used to it as the days went by. During her academy days, Fugi had never seen Loki so much as _say_ anything heatedly, but with Tsutanai it seemed like an everyday occurrence. Now… things would only escalate.

"When are you going to break them up?"

Fugi startled slightly, glancing to her left, where Naruto-sensei had just taken a seat. She nodded to him in acknowledgement, before turning her back attention completely to the two still-arguing 13 year old boys. "Just before they start to physically fight…"

"Oh?" Her sensei's voice sounded curious, "Why?"

"Because…" Fugi paused, straining her eyes to catch every movement of her teammates, who had started to shout at each other, "I feel that they need to relieve their tension by arguing, because then their frustration with each other could blow over, instead of staying inside and festering into hate. But… actually breaking each other's bones is too much."

"Ah?" The blond jounin sounded thoughtful, "That's really mature, but you don't think words could hurt?"

Surprised, Fugi turned to their teacher, a questioning look on her face. He hadn't exactly been pleased either, the first day Team 7 had received a mission. While he had been gone, Tsutanai and Loki had gotten into a fight, resulting in both of them resting in the hospital. Naruto-sensei had been absolutely furious, and gave a lecture about hurting allies that even Fugi's father would have been proud of. And now her sensei was saying… that hurting each other wasn't a big deal?

Seeming to understand her meaning, the blond jounin shook his head, lifting his hands up in surrender. "No, no, of course it's bad to physically hurt each other, but I personally think that most physical wounds can heal… while emotional scars caused by words, can't. Sheesh I sound sappy, but it's true. A good, good friend of mine once told me that. The reason I was so mad the first time, was more because of the _reason_ for the fight rather then the fact that Tsutanai and Loki actually fought. So when I'm not around…"

The blond jounin made a few hand signs, slapping his palms to the ground. Cries of surprise came from Loki and Tsutanai's direction, almost giving Fugi a heart attack. Oh no! She had completely forgotten to watch her teammates for signs of fighting. Whipping her head around, she was startled to see the two almost a foot away from each other, wobbling uncontrollably as they slowly sank into the ground at their feet. Wide eyed, Fugi turned back to their sensei.

The jounin's lips twitched, looking like he was trying to suppress a laugh. "Just make sure they don't get into fights for stupid reasons."

"That jutsu…" Fugi stammered, mostly because she didn't know what else to say. How could she comment on what he had just told her? How? It made her feel warm and giddy inside that he trusted her to such an extent, but she also disagreed with a great portion of what he said. Words didn't hurt as much as physical pain, they couldn't. She couldn't let them. She couldn't agree with Naruto-sensei, her superior. It was bad of her she knew, and that was why she couldn't say anything.

The blond nodded sagely, thankfully not pressing her on the matter. "Yep, that's the same old jutsu I used on Tsutanai during the genin test. The water technique: Sinking Earth."

Fugi smiled slightly, leaning back on the Dirr tree. "Are you trying to teach it to us by showing us all the time?"

Scratching his head, the jounin gave a slightly nervous laugh, "Erm, actually… it's a bit too complicated for genin to learn. Truth is, I don't know that many jutsus… it was the only one I could think of to stop those two from fighting. I guess I'll have to brush up on my variety if I don't want Tsutanai and Loki eventually figuring out how to escape eh?

Blinking, she nodded… but inwardly, she wondered. She had not missed the fact that he didn't say he'd be trying to find something to teach them. While her friends in other teams did not do as much missions, they actually learned many things. Her friends in other teams did not have to work this hard, and while she would not have minded working hard to achieve her goals, Naruto-sensei's methods seemed to have no effect. Fugi could not figure out what their teacher was trying to accomplish, since all he seemed to do was have them do a ridiculous amount of missions while not teaching them a single thing.

She just didn't get it, but maybe… the purpose would be revealed later?

Just then, Naruto-sensei seemed to wince, his hand shooting up to his head. He closed his eyes, leaning back against the tree with furrowed brows as if he were thinking hard on something. Fugi scooted a bit closer, wanting to check if her teacher was okay.

"Ah...?" He muttered, causing Fugi to jump. It was a moment later, that she realized he didn't seem to notice her at all. "Sempol transports from the west gate? Why? That's such a strange request…"

Fugi's blood froze, unable to comprehend, understand, what she was hearing so casually. Sempol from the west gate… Her father had specifically requested that this morning. How in the world did her instructor know about it? Only the highest authority…

"Hm?" The blond jounin cracked one eyelid open, giving Fugi a slightly concerned look, "Something the matter?"

Fugi shook her head, a little guiltily, a little frantically. "N-no, nothing. Um… how-" _do you know that?_ But she couldn't just ask, and she had a feeling he wouldn't answer. Quickly, she changed her sentence mid-way. "-are you feeling? You look like you're in pain. Do you need anything?"

Blinking, her teacher beamed at her, "Ha, I should have known, you're always so considerate. Don't worry, I'm fine, just a bit of an information overload… um… headache, ya know. Don't worry about it."

He had told her not to worry about it but… something about his expression just didn't seem right. _He_ was worried, she could tell. Still… she couldn't really press a senior. She knew it wasn't her business, but… she wanted to help.

This was her sensei after all, her kind and cheery sensei who always seemed to know what to say. Although he hadn't taught them anything she was sure he had his own reasons, and it wasn't as if it affected her. She had to learn the Yaiba sword style after all, and after getting such a heavy lesson about her swordplay from an outsider, Fugi was more determined then ever to learn it right. He had helped her so much, but she couldn't seem to do anything for him. It wasn't right.

And as Loki would say, so what if Naruto-sensei didn't believe Fugi could handle his situation? She would simply have to prove him wrong.

* * *

Tsutanai fumed. He was in the Hokage office again, with his sensei chatting amiably to the most powerful woman in Fire Country to decide their next mission. Correction- next _chore_. All they had been doing since he had been made genin was _chores_, mowing grass, picking up trash, finding lost pets, you name it. Under the name of D-rank missions, he had been led to believe they were relevant, and oh how wrong he was… but still, it wouldn't have been so bad… if he had actually _learned_ anything.

It had been a month, a _month_ since he had made genin, and what had he learned? Nothing! Oh yeah, except for how to mow the lawn maybe. Seriously, what kind of jounin instructor did they have? The Naruto guy had done soooo many cool moves during the bell test, but did he teach his students any of them? No!

Just what kind of teacher was this Naruto fellow?

"Excuse me?"

Tsutanai looked towards the source of the voice, and found a pair of blue eyes glaring down at him heatedly. Oops, had he said that out loud? Oh well.

Tsutanai crossed his arms, and glared right back, "It's true!"

His sensei took a step back, that accursed amused smile playing across his lips. Raising both brows, the blond turned to look at his other students, "And what do you guys think?"

Beside him, Fugi flushed, ducking her head. Tsutanai almost growled; this wasn't fair! Fugi was obviously too nice to say anything bad about their sensei, and Maekawa would never agree with him! Stupid, stupid, stupid teacher-!

"Actually, I agree with Kato."

Tsutanai's amber eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn't help but gape at the boy standing so casually next to Fugi. Maekawa Loki stood with his hands in his pockets, his voice and face completely expressionless. "Naruto-sensei, you have not really been teaching us anything of relevance."

Fugi took one look at Maekawa, and stood a little straighter. Lifting her head, she nodded, the blush barely noticeable on her dark skin. "Tru-truly sensei, we haven't really learned much."

It was all Tsutanai could do not to goggle at his self proclaimed rival. Unbelievable, Maekawa had really saved him! The same, stupid Maekawa, who wouldn't even acknowledge him, had agreed with Tsutanai the one time he really needed it. The amber eyed boy grinned. He wouldn't thank the ash blond -of course he couldn't- and he was mad that Fugi still looked up to the stupid Maekawa like an idol, but perhaps now their sensei would actually start teaching them something…?

"Hm…" The blond jounin hummed, taking a seat on the Hokage's desk, "What do you think Tsunade grandma, should I teach them something useful?"

The Hokage scowled, giving a shove their teacher, "Stop being so disrespectful brat, or else what will your students learn from you?"

Tsutanai jaw hit the floor again… grandma? Brat? Sneaking a glance at his two teammates, Tsutanai noticed that they had similar reactions. Even Maekawa's normally dismissive grey eyes widened quite dramatically. Scowling, Tsutanai turned his eyes back to his sensei, trying to burn a hole in the back of the blond with sheer willpower alone. The grandson of the Hokage, and their sensei didn't even bother to tell them! How were they supposed to trust the guy when he gave them so little information? No wonder the blond could call the Godaime 'old hag' and get away with it, whereas when Tsutanai had tried he had went back sporting a very big bruise…

"Ah come on," The idiotic blond pouted, "I deserve to sit on your desk. I do all your paperwork after all. And you _know_ how pointless all your paperwork is. I get headaches just thinking about it."

The Hokage opened her mouth, then seemed to close it again. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she sighed, her earlier good mood disappearing. At least, that's what it seemed to Tsutanai. If the grandmother's moods were the same as her grandson's that is. If it was one thing Tsutanai prided himself on, it was his ability to read people. And this past month, he had gotten to know everyone on Team 7's moods pretty well. After all, he had nothing _better_ to do.

The Godaime swirled her chair around to face the missions board, so her back was facing them all. Her head bobbing up and down as she searched for an appropriate mission, the Hokage waved her hand dismissively at Naruto. "At least now you have something filling that empty head of yours. Now get off the desk brat, or I _will_ punch you. You have until I turn around again, and if I see you still squashing my precious mahogany you _will_ end up in the hospital. And I will not be treating you."

With an eye roll, their sensei hopped off the desk and turned to face his students with a foxy grin, "Ah, I guess it's time to start another D-rank mission. I wonder what it will be this time. Pulling weeds? Cutting trees? Looking for Tora. Hehe… I can't believe that cat is still alive…"

It was then that Tsutanai realized their sensei had never actually promised to teach them something. Oh he was good at diverting attention, but see if the stupid blond could get past Tsutanai this time! He jumped up, grasping his teacher's shirt with both hands, narrowing his eyes in an expression he knew looked quite scary given his scar. "If you're not going to teach us anything, at least give us a C-rank mission! I've had enough of pulling grass, we need something… I dunno, ninja-like!"

The Hokage's hand suddenly dropped, an amused snort coming from her direction. "Well what do you know brat, you've finally found a brat who's worse at this language than you were."

In a second, Tsutanai found himself on the floor with a sore bum as the blond jounin shook him off. With an amused grin and completely unfazed, their sensei bent down next to him, his blue eyes glittering, "Hey what do you know, you're even more forward than I was in my genin days."

A tired sigh came from the other side of the room, and this time Tsutanai recognized Maekawa's voice, "As much as I'd hate to agree with the dimwit twice in one day, he does have a point. I do believe we are ready to move onto higher risk activities, especially since we have proven to be extremely able to perform missions with a high degree of efficiency. "

And the way he said it… was so much better than Tsutanai's! The stupid Maekawa was just trying to show Tsutanai up! Using all those fancy words and… grrr. The amber eyed boy glared, wanting to tell the Maekawa heir to shut it but too afraid it would make their sensei think they weren't ready for a 'high risk activity' or whatever. Instead, he quickly scrambled to his feet and channelled all his fury, hoping that the Maekawa burned. The grey eyed boy didn't even look his way.

Tsutanai hated blonds. With a passion.

Again, Naruto turned to the Hokage with a cocky grin, "So what do you think? Are they ready for a _C-rank_ mission? I've never had one before, is it difficult?"

The Hokage snorted, turning back around with a square piece of paper in her left hand, "From all the complaints you've had about Kato and Maekawa's fighting, I'm not so sure a C-rank mission is a good idea. Disputes between team members after all, can be deadly in a real mission."

The room went quiet, and Tsutanai inwardly cursed. No! How could this be? That damn Maekawa! The stupid 'prodigy' was ruining his life! Tsutanai had to fix this… _had_ to have a real mission… he had to… but how? A thought flashed across the black haired boy's mind, something that could possibly save them. But… Tsutanai cringed, it was so distasteful. Besides, Maekawa would never go along with it, right? Casting a sidelong glance at Maekawa, Tsutanai confirmed his suspicions. Maekawa was giving him the 'what kind of idiot makes faces at himself' look, so obviously Maekawa would be unwilling to cooperate in the plan. They definitely couldn't just 'make up'… Hey wait a minute! Did Maekawa just insult him?! Why that little-!

"I think the Sage of the Winds Naruto can protect us."

Everyone's heads swivelled to Fugi, surprised by her sudden input.

A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks, but Fugi lifted her chin higher, almost defiantly. "It is true isn't it? I've looked at some records. The Sage of the Winds, Uzumaki Naruto, the most powerful ninja in Konoha next to the Hokage herself. The one to defeat Pain and Madara, two S-class missing nins whom no one else could match."

For a moment, all their blond sensei could do was gape at her, and Tsutanai felt an instant's smugness. Ha, finally, his sensei was caught off guard! He was so proud of Fugi!

Rubbing the back of his head, the jounin laughed weakly, "How in the world did you find out…? Anyways, I'm not the second most powerful or whatever, there are plenty of people in Konoha who could give me a run for my money. It's just because I had the sage techniques that allowed me to defeat Pain, 'cause his bloodline made normal ninjutsu completely ineffective. And Madara…" The clear blue eyes darkened slightly, "I had a lot of help with that one."

Tsutanai felt his mouth drop, stunned as the momentary smugness wore off and the implications set it. So it was true? Their instructor was the second most powerful ninja in Fire Country?!? It was… it was…

"Wooo!" Tsutanai screamed, punching the air. "We have an instructor that's strongest next to the Hokage herself! This is awweeesssomeeee! Haha, everyone will be so jealous. I'll definitely become the Hokage now! Whoo hoo!"

Their teacher struck his forehead with a resigned look, raising his voice to drown out Tsutanai's. "Weren't you listening to anything I said…? Oh never mind. Tsunade old hag, give me the file on the next available C-rank mission."

And for some reason, the Hokage smiled.


	4. A Problem Even Ramen Can't Fix

Chapter 4- A Problem Even Ramen Can't Fix

Naruto sat alone at Ichiru's Ramen, sighing heavily at the disgusting looking file next to his delicious looking miso ramen. It almost made him lose his appetite… No! What was he thinking?! Of course his appetite wasn't lost, it was just… He stole another glance at the file. He really, really, really didn't want to read it. Why oh why did he accept a C-mission for his team? Anything above a D-mission required careful scrutiny of mission details, and as he was the jounin instructor for his team, it fell upon his shoulders to look through that repulsive file. He had to check finances, transport routes, etc, etc, and while it usually didn't take over 15 minutes, Naruto had already done waaay too much paperwork these past few weeks. Oh sure, kage bunshins were useful, but it also meant that whatever intellectual stress the bunshins encountered became Naruto's stress as soon as they were dispelled. Even while doing D-rank missions with his new genin team, Naruto had to constantly review the information given to him, as well as dispel and remake new bunshins every three hours so he wouldn't get overloaded with information. As Shikamaru would say, it was _troublesome_.

Oh what he did for his team. A C-rank mission, he couldn't believe it. While he was OK with reviewing A and S-class stuff, because they were at least partially interesting, reviewing a transport mission was really going to be dull. Naruto sighed, picking up his chopsticks. He should eat, he was going to need the energy to tackle the most boring report on earth. That stupid old hag _must_ be enjoying this… giving something so dull to someone whom she _knew_ had a short attention span.

It was then that he sensed it, the slight signature feel of chakra sneaking up behind him. Naruto whirled in his chair, raising his chopsticks to stab the unknown adversary…

"Woah Naruto, calm down."

Blinking, Naruto felt the tension drain out of him as he stared into warm grey eyes. "Ino." He paused, dropping his chopsticks to the floor, "That was stupid."

She put her hands on her hips with an indignant huff, "Stupid? _You_, telling me I did something stupid? Oh please. Besides, what were you going to do with chopsticks? Eat me? Last time I checked, you weren't a medic nin, and _don't_ know where all the vital points of a human body are."

Naruto crossed his arms, glaring at the other girl as he pointed towards the ground. "I wouldn't need to, look."

Ino glanced down, and Naruto felt her whole demeanour change. On the once smooth dirt floor, two small holes still smoked from where Naruto had dropped his chopsticks.

The blue eyed boy leaned back, his voice serious, "Did you forget that wind is my affinity? I can easily turn anything into a weapon. Ino, please don't sneak up on me again."

For a moment, all Ino could do was gape at the whole, making Naruto feel slightly smug. Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes shut, her arms falling placidly beside her. The blond haired girl shook her head slightly as if she were unable to believe the sight before her, an odd note in her voice, "Oh yeah, Shikamaru is like that too now. Can't sneak up on him anymore. I guess that's what being a jounin means. Hehe… it's not like the old days anymore is it? The two dead lasts of class A-8 are now two of the most deadly ninjas in Konoha…"

Naruto had almost immediately opened his mouth to flippantly reply that he knew he was good, but something about Ino's tone stopped him. Was it true, what she was saying? Had they really changed that much? He thought about it, and even the very act of thinking got him thinking. Six years ago, he would have never given any thought to anything, but here he was, recognizing an emotional problem. And it was true, if he really thought about it. Five years ago he was truly all talk, and even he could admit that practically all his wins came out of underestimation. And now… he was ready to skewer a friend at a moment's notice. Naruto had never really thought about it, but now that Ino brought it to attention… it was kinda depressing.

"Still," Naruto mused, bringing out his renowned optimism, "No matter how much we change physically or mentally, our core will still be the same. I think I'll always be loud and have hard times understanding some concepts, and Shikamaru will always look for the easiest way out of things. We'll just have our moments, that's all."

"You… hehe," Ino giggled, seeming unable to help herself. "You've matured this much. When had you stopped being the eternal idiot, and why didn't I notice?"

She swiped at her face, and when she looked at him again, her eyes held an odd sheen to them.

Eh?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Naruto's breath hitched. Oh this was not good, so not good! He was not _good_ with dealing with woman, _especially_ not teary woman! What to do? What to do…? Almost hysterically, Naruto turned a 180 on his chair, reaching with lightning speed to the rack of tissues. No, no, no! He couldn't see Ino cry… he couldn't! Unfortunately, he had forgotten about his ramen.

And now he was looking at a greasy stain on his nice, recently cleaned shirt. Great, oh great, how in the world had he knocked over his own lunch by accident? Inwardly, Naruto mourned over the loss of a shirt. He only did his laundry once every month, and that was only if he remembered. His room would end up smelling like noodles now for quite a while. Actually… that wasn't such a bad thing…

A loud guffaw broke Naruto out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Ino doubled over in laughter. She still had tears in her eyes, but this time, it was the good kind, the kind Naruto liked very much. "Hahahaha! Just when I said you were mature! Oh… haha… You're still the same old idiot…"

Okay… she didn't have to put it _that_ way.

"The stupid guy who failed three times," Ino hiccupped, smiling fondly.

Now Naruto frowned, furrowing his brows. That was… that was… he couldn't keep silent about _that_! Naruto jumped up, waving his arms wildly to get Ino's attention, "I'm not that stupid! I swear it was sabotage! I swear! I have my dumb moments sure, but overall I think I'm-"

"I know," Ino whispered, interrupting. Water still clung onto her lashes, her normally determined grey eyes gaining a distant look. A small smile stretched across her lips, giving her a tender look that Naruto had never seen on the feisty blond. "Thanks for cheering me up… Naruto."

Naruto's next words catch in his throat, almost unable to respond to what he was hearing. Ino never was like this, _never_. A numbing, dreadful realization seeped into the blond, the only explanation he could think of for such a thing. He stumbled slightly, falling back on his chair. Did Choji, or Shikamaru…? But it was impossible, Shikamaru was too smart to die, and Choji, well he was way above his level of Chuun. It couldn't have happened, simply couldn't have. Still… Naruto would have never that team 7… "What- what happened, Ino?"

"N-nothing, it's just…" Her milky grey eyes suddenly widened, as if realization stuck her. She bit her lip, a rather constipated expression on her face. A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks, and she looked away hurriedly. "Oh Naruto, nothing like that! Everyone's okay, I'm just being over-emotional, that's all. Um… girls have a time of the month you know, where they are just really really irrational. Seriously, nothing bad has happened."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, thank goodness, no one had died. And then, what Ino actually said registered. Naruto felt his face heat up. "T-t-th-the time of the m-mo-month? O-o-ok, I understand."

For a few days every month, the old hag acted really irrational too. Then, Naruto had smelt blood on Tsunade and went into hysterics during a diplomatic meeting, thinking someone had poisoned her and she somehow got internal bleeding. Needless to say, it didn't go well after that. Naruto was in the hospital for a week- which was tremendous considering his rapid rate of healing. Finally taking pity on Naruto, Shizune kindly explained about monthly periods, and the weird phenomenon that was PMS. Naruto wished she hadn't. It was even worse than when Jiraiya explained 'the birds and the bees'.

Suddenly, Ino's embarrassment seemed to vanish, a smirk spreading across her features. "Oh yeah… that um, _incident_, you had with our menstrual symptoms… I can't believe I forgot that!"

"Wh-what?" Naruto stuttered, "How do _you_ know?!?"

Ino flipped her hair, raising a mocking brow, "New apprentice of Lady Tsunade remember? I hear all the latest gossip going around the hospital."

Naruto felt himself blanch, "You mean everyone knows about it?"

Ino giggled, casting Naruto a sly look, "Well I wouldn't say _everyone_. I'm sure some beggers in Iwagakure don't know about it."

Naruto groaned, burying his head in his hands, "I can't believe this. I've spent my whole life trying to get respect, and now it's all going down the drain. Just because ero- just because I made a stupid mistake in trying to _protect the Hokage_."

For some reason, Ino frowned. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, shaking her head.

"What?" Naruto asked, a bit worried. She wasn't going to cry again, was she?

"Nothing," She said brightly, smirking again, "So Naruto, what were you doing before I so graciously came and brightened your day?"

And she was happy again? Honestly, he would never understand woman, they changed their moods faster than an ANBU could run. It was unbelievable. Naruto shook his head, motioning to his ruined shirt, "What does it look like I was doing? I was enjoying my ramen."

Ino raised a brow, jerking her head towards the files on the ramen stand, "Really? It looked to me like you were trying to set the stack of papers on fire with your eyes alone. And I know you don't have a fire affinity. What is that anyway? I usually see you- or er- the clones of you doing paperwork near the Hokage office. Isn't doing it here a bit dangerous?"

"Do you doubt my ability to guard confidential papers from being stolen?" Naruto teased, then had to drop the grin to answer the question. Really, there was nothing pleasing about those files. "Those are C-rank mission files for my genin team."

Ino's eyes widened in surprise, "A genin team? Really? I thought those were just rumours!"

"Nope," Naruto grumbled, "Unfortunately not."

"Well, well," Ino mused, a devious grin dancing across her face, "The Sage of the Winds gets saddled with three little devils eh? I would have never expected _this_. Hehehe… I'm afraid you and Neji are the only ones to have the _fortune_ of getting roped into training little brats. But hey, I guess it wouldn't be _that_ bad having little kiddies to torture… if you don't mind not getting any exciting missions for a while that is."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Naruto sneered, then sighed softly, "But you know, genin teams aren't all that bad. They're pretty impressive, those three."

Ino blinked, gaping.

"What?" Naruto asked defensively.

"Oh nothing," Ino replied with a soft smile, "It's just… oh Naruto, you had such a fond expression on your face. You were smiling in a way I've never seen you smile before."

Naruto's hands flew to his traitorous mouth in horror.

Ino guffawed, putting a hand to her own mouth to stifle the laughter. At Naruto's glare, she laughed even louder. Finally, after laughing like a hyena for twelve minutes, she calmed down. "Okay, so what's this mission you're doing?"

Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. He spun in his seat, so he didn't have to face her.

A warm hand descended on his shoulder, and a soft breath tickled his right ear. Ino was leaning dangerously close, "Oh come on Naruto-kun, I'll even buy you ramen…"

Naruto's eyes lit up, whipping around so fast that he almost butted heads with Ino. "Ramen!"

Ino moved away quickly, grabbing onto another stool and plopping down on it. She looked to the sky and laughed out loud. "Only you… my seductive powers don't work, but I bet ramen can even bribe you to sabotage Lady Tsunade's hospital."

Naruto decided not to comment. Really, there was no way he could get out of that one without sounding dumb. Coughing into his hand, the toad sage attempted to look serious. "So this transport mission… basically we're transporting some iron from Konoha to this civilian village. The directions are in the file. It's nothing big, but bandits might think that the iron is valuable, so we're hired to transport it. It should take us four days, at most."

"Oh." Ino blinked, "That's surprisingly simple. But then again, considering that this is you…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

Ino gave a sly smile, "It means, something's bound to go wrong."

* * *

The day of the mission dawned bright and clear. But then again Loki supposed, Fire Country was always sunny. He was early, very early, just like he had planned it. Nobody was at the gate yet, and Loki relished this moment of peace. Loki leaned against a pole, letting out a soft sigh as his eyes drifted shut. The soft murmurings and clicks of wheels hitting pavement in the background only added to his sense of calm. He didn't like it at his house, where it was eerily quiet, as opposed to calming. Loki didn't stay there for longer than necessary, unless it was to remind himself of his revenge. But right here, right now, he felt like he could just relax, and enjoy this instant without being pestered by some idiot…

"Woah, you're really early. Exited to get out?"

Loki's grey eyes snapped open, glaring at the idiot who interrupted his moment. Then just as quickly, he amended himself. No, their sensei wasn't an idiot, far from it. If what Fugi said was true, and considering the blonde's age, then Naruto-sensei was actually quite a genius. Plus, the skill Naruto displayed during their bell test was incredible. Still, that didn't really stop him from acting like an idiot did it?

Loki had a lot of respect for their teacher, but after almost a month of not teaching them _anything_… "I am surprised you prize your students well enough to show up early."

Naruto took a step back, scratching his head sheepishly, "Hey, I do like you guys a lot. Why do you think I've put you guys through so many missions when I could have been eating ramen?"

Loki pressed his lips together, not impressed. Yes, he knew that they had done more missions than any other genin, probably in the history of Konoha, but they were such a waste of time! He didn't need the money offered, and the experience was hardly even worth commenting on. What Loki had expected, when he was assigned a jounin sensei, was that he would be trained in the arts of ninja, learning more than he already knew. There was only so far he could go by himself, no matter what his intellect. Still, with the situation now he would rather be at home, studying his own scrolls, than doing any more useless time-consuming D-rank missions. It was a good thing Tsutanai had exploded and asked for a C-rank (though Loki would never admit it) or else Loki might have just killed their sensei, jounin or not.

"Hey, hey," Naruto laughed nervously, "What's with that murderous glare? It's such a sunny day, so brighten up."

Loki gave his sensei a flat look.

Naruto rolled his eyes, flicking Loki on the forehead before the ash could react. "Lose the 'tude dude. You're finally going out of the city, aren't you the least bit excited?"

Loki crossed his arms, bowing his head and looking at the ground without really seeing it. Yes, he was excited, but he was too ashamed to admit it. He wasn't supposed to be excited, wasn't supposed to be happy. His next words were more for himself, then his sensei. "The only thing I'll be excited about, is when I avenge my family and kill that bastard father of mine. He destroyed my whole family, and the only reason he couldn't get me was because I was in the hospital at the time. It's his mistake."

"Don't…" Naruto's voice was strained, and Loki felt a bit of savage pleasure from hearing it. Was his sensei going to back off in sympathy, or try to convince Loki that revenge wasn't the way to go, as Loki's academy instructors had? Did he finally realize what the Maekawa curse tied onto Loki's name meant?

But strangely… Loki felt a little forlorn at that last thought. His sensei didn't treat him special, never had. Whatever punishments dealt to Tsutanai, had also been dealt to him. It was a shocking change, but Loki secretly liked it. All his life, he had been treated special, getting away with anything that he wanted. It was annoying. With Naruto, he felt normal. But now… now he'd be losing it. Still, did his personal feeling really matter, if Loki could finally _learn_ something from his jounin sensei.

Finally, Naruto snorted. "Don't think you're so special. Lots of ninja had sad home lives, and there are plenty of orphans to go around. I'm one myself. If all of these ninja wanted revenge, we'd have none left in Konoha."

Loki cocked a brow. That was… an interesting way of putting it. Logically, Loki knew that, knew that revenge brought nothing but anger and an endless cycle of hate, but he still couldn't stop himself from wanting it. Call him weak, he didn't care, he had promised his mother that he would bring back his father's head on a pike.

Wait… something in what Naruto-sensei said… "When you said you're one as well, does that mean you've also wanted revenge?"

For a moment, their unflappable sensei actually looked uncomfortable. "Actually…"

"Naruto-sensei! Maekawa! Why're you both so early?!"

Loki gritted his teeth, turning abruptly to face the incoming Kato with an icy glare. He couldn't believe this! For once, their sensei was about to reveal something about himself, and that damn Tsutanai had interrupted!

Tsutanai didn't miss a beat, glaring back with equal vigour. Fugi, who was running beside him, simply sighed.

"Sheesh," Naruto muttered with a hint of a smile, recovering as if he'd never been upset, "You're all so excitable. You're even a bit early."

"Really?" Fugi beamed, ignoring her two teammates in favour of addressing their teacher. Loki was thankful for it. If there was one thing good about being put under a team with their lazy teacher, it was Yaiba Fugi. Loki was aware that all the girls in his grade had a crush on him (though he didn't know why) but at least Fugi's was bearable. And, she seemed to be getting better under the direction of Naruto.

"Right, so…!" Naruto clapped his hands, like a kindergarten teacher, "Get a move on, troops! We're wheeling that cart over there -no, not that one Tsutanai- yeah okay, hold it steady… right, now wheel it!"

Tsutanai shoved at the small cart, moving it only a few inches. The black haired boy groaned when it squeaked to a stop, and threw a glare at their sensei that even Loki was impressed by. "This is too heavy! How're we supposed to wheel it all the way to whatever-its-village?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, giving a pushing both Loki and Fugi forwards. "That's what you've got teammates for."

"What about you?!" Tsutanai shouted, turning red.

Loki gave a little sigh of exasperation as he slowly ambled towards the cart. It had been a month since they had formed this rag-dag little team, and Naruto's moods were easy to pick up on. He couldn't believe the idiot brunette had asked such a stupid question. Didn't Tsutanai understand their sensei at all…?

Seeming to sense what Loki was thinking, Naruto threw a smirk at him. Turning to Tsutanai with a fake cough, Naruto raised a brow, "I am your sensei. Need to say more?"

Tsutanai gave a growl of frustration, but seemed to understand that channelling his anger towards the cart rather than a fruitless fight with a jounin was a better option. Soon, Loki and Fugi joined him. They pushed at it, and it was a lot easier. They were finally able to move at a constant pace. Just when they got some momentum though, someone interrupted.

"Uzamaki-sama! Uzamaki-sama!"

Naruto sighed, turning from watching his genins slowly get past the gate to watch someone completely new. Tsutanai also turned, a look of mischievous curiosity on his face. Once again, Loki found himself on the same wavelength as the dark haired idiot. It was unfortunate Tsutanai was being so obvious, they were sure to get caught. But what could he do about it? The brunette would never listen to him, and Tsutanai would probably get all the blame. Giving Fugi a gesture to indicate that it would be too hard to continue pushing the cart with one-third of their party gone, so Loki stopped pushing. He leaned against the cart as if resting, angling his head so he could see his sensei from his peripheral vision.

Naruto sighed, an odd gesture coming from the blond. "Please don't call me that, it's Naruto."

"B-but you're the one who saved Konoha! You should be Hokage!" The stranger blurted out, flushing a deep red. He had pale skin, and deep green eyes. He wore a simple chuun outfit, hitate displayed proudly on his forehead.

Hold on… saved Konoha?

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Is that insubordination?"

"N-n-no," The stranger stuttered, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Naruto waved him off, grinning. Somehow though, Loki found it more not at all sincere, as if their sensei was straining to hide something. "Don't worry about it, I'm just joking of course. Seriously though, the whole 'saved Konoha' thing is overrated. It was my fault in the first place."

"It wasn't!" The stranger argued, suddenly growing a backbone. Perhaps he was a fan of Naruto or something, and simply _had_ to defend his idol. Loki knew a lot of girls like that. "If we didn't have you, we'd be dead thrice over by now, two of them because of Ky- um… well, you know."

The ash blond narrowed stormy grey eyes at the worried look the guy sent them, wondering what other secret their sensei was keeping from them. Something a chuun would know, but not academy students?

"Oh." Naruto blinked, scratching his head with a laugh, "Oh _that_. Well don't worry about that, it's no longer a problem anymore. After Madara… well, the thing from 18 years ago is gone now."

"Really?" The stranger's eyes widened, an odd gleam in them, "That's great! That's the best news I've heard in- a long time!"

Naruto chuckled uncomfortably, "Erm, right. So, do you have anything for me? I've really got to go."

"O-oh right!" The stranger nodded vigorously, and then held out a little scroll. "About your mission… the destination's changed. They want the iron in a cave instead, so they can build something there I think. The map is on this scroll."

"Hun." Naruto accepted the scroll with a confused look. "Really? That's strange. Hey, do I know you from somewhere…?"

Loki fully turned towards his sensei, narrowing his eyes. Something was happening. They had gotten the mission just yesterday after all, how could the information have changed so quickly? And how did a chuun get information like this when a jounin couldn't? He couldn't help but think, that something was up with this. Still, he guessed it wasn't his place. However, it should have been a jounin's place.

The stranger gave a strained smile, "I file papers for the Hokage."

The Hokage…? Well, at least that made sense. Loki turned back to lean his cheek against the cool metal cart, letting out a small sigh of pent up tension. So it wasn't a spy then.

A spy…

Loki shot Tsutanai a look, wondering how the brunette was taking it. The amber eyed boy was still staring the pair with rapt eyes, with no attention for anything else. Loki felt part ways annoyed and part ways thankful. So Tsutanai hadn't even thought about it. Considering what Tsutanai's mother was though, it was perhaps for the best. The spy who had betrayed Konoha and made the Kato name hated for his generation. It was sometimes only that thought that kept Loki from hitting the annoying boy. Though now he had to admit, he was thinking about it less and less.

Naruto blinked at the stranger, then laughed. "Oh I remember now! Gensai right? Haha, I feel bad for you. Filing papers for the old hag is killer, trust me I know."

"Yeah," The stranger said darkly, "You're almost lucky you're going to be gone."

"Almost?" Naruto raised a brow.

"Well you know," The stranger laughed, gesturing towards the genin, "You have to take care of _brats_."

The blond shook his head, "They're not bad at all…"

Naruto trailed off when he spotted them. Loki inwardly winced. Their sensei was not going to be pleased.

A strange glint appeared in those sky blue eyes, "Oh-ho. _So_… eavesdropping instead of pushing eh? Well, well, _well_. I was feeling bad for you brats, and I was going to help, but now… now I think I'll just sit back and watch."

Loki briefly shut his eyes, exhaling. Yes, he had expected this reaction. It was obvious, that there would be consequences for their actions. Unfortunately, Tsutanai didn't see it that way. Loki took back his earlier, almost kind -shudders- thoughts about the boy.

"What?!" Tsutanai exploded. "It's called espionage! Espionage! We were just gathering information on someone we thought looked suspicious! And we're being punished for it?!"

Naruto snorted, "I'm surprised you know what 'espionage' means, since you were doing such a poor job of it. If a blind cat couldn't tell you were listening in, I'd be surprised. Fine then, consider this as punishment for such obvious eavesdropping. Now less arguing and more pushing, or else we'll never get there."

Tsutanai grunted, but thankfully started pushing again. Loki didn't feel like wasting time trying to calm the idiot down. Well, actually he probably wouldn't be able to calm the brunette down, but he was sure he could convince Fugi to. The rest of the journey was pretty much in silence, as all of them were too tired to even think of wasting breath on speaking. Naruto-sensei would sometimes try to bait them, but even Tsutanai got good at ignoring the blond.

After what seemed like forever, but could only have been an hour, the jounin finally took pity on them. Or maybe he was just bored.

"Hey guys," Naruto started off again, "There is a better way to push this cart. Channel some chakra to your feet, so the whole 'pushing off the ground' action is easier. Here, I'll show you."

The three genin stopped pushing, turning as one to observe their sensei.

Naruto jumped up in the air, and though it was high, it wasn't that high. "That, is a normal jump."

Then, he jumped again.

By the time he landed, Tsutanai was all over him. "Teach me! Teach me that! I want to learn how to jump like that!"

Naruto sighed, pushing the struggling boy off with one hand, "When you channel chakra efficiently, you should be able to do anything. It's like giving an extra source of energy to your muscles. Try to do that while pushing the cart. I have one warning though, it's not as easy as it looks. You have to keep in mind the shifts of your feet as you push off the ground. Don't get discouraged, and remember, once you know how to channel chakra, any and all jutsus should be open to you."

Tsutanai's eyes grew wide at the comment, and he pumped his fist into the air. "Yatta! Raod to Hokage, here I come!"

Even Fugi smiled, "I knew there was an ulterior motive to this!"

Loki felt a grin coming despite his weariness, but quickly squashed it. Grey eyes glittering as he eyed the cart with a renewed vigour, Loki quickly got to pushing again. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), the exercise came easily for him. Fugi and Tsutanai though, were still struggling, which really offset Loki's pace. Giving a little sigh, he turned to Fugi and gave her a few tips on chakra control. The faster they got this mission done after all, the better. He would have given Tsutanai tips too, if he wasn't so sure the other boy would just scoff at his act of kindness.

After a while, Tsutanai seemed to finally swallow his pride, "Hey Fugi, can you give me some tips on this?"

Fugi looked conflicted for a moment, and Loki mentally urged her to _yes_, _yes_. They were going too slowly for his tastes, and they needed Tstuanai to pick up the pace. Trying to give her some form of encouragement, Loki nodded subtly towards her. Unfortunately, this seemed to have an adverse effect.

Perking up, Fugi turned to Tsutanai and shook her head, "I'm just a novice, you should ask the real master. It was Loki who gave me the tips."

Tsutanai looked murderous, and Loki mentally groaned. No, no, he did not need this. Outwardly, he showed no reaction, but inwardly he shrivelled with dread. The best case scenario now, was if they kept with their miserable pace. The worst, was if Tstuanai decided to pick a fight with him. And then, all those icy layers that Loki had spent years culminating, perfecting, would be torn down, as if they never existed at all. He hated those moments, hated it with a passion. And yet… yet during those moments… he felt alive again. But he wasn't supposed to feel alive, not until his father was dead. Like his clan symbol. Phoenixes after all, had rebirth after death. This time, he absolutely could not let his emotions get the better of him.

"-tips?"

What? Loki stared at Tsutanai blankly, "Excuse me?"

Tsutanai let out a frustrated growl, looking away, "I try to be nice, but you! You're just making fun of me aren't you! I know that this might not come as easily for me, but that's just because today I-"

"Focus on your chakra, visualize it as a thread." Loki said dazedly, finally understanding what Tsutanai had been asking. Unbelievable, the idiot actually swallowed his pride for once! Loki felt a small smile make its way up his face; yes, this was the best case scenario.

The rest of the journey continued on much faster, and finally they all got to rest. The next day, they didn't have to push for more than an hour before they arrived at their destination.

"This is it," Their jounin sensei commented, peering at the cave speculatively, "We've just got to wheel the cart in there, and then we're home free. Actually, you guys learned chakra control faster than I thought you would, and we're ahead of schedule. How 'bout we ditch this thing and then get… hm… 'sidetracked' a bit. I'm sure you'd love to see the countryside. It's… very nice."

"Seriously?" Tsutanai asked with a big grin, looking like his birthday had come early. "Yatta! That's so awesome!"

Without waiting for anyone, the idiot quickly started pushing the cart by himself. Loki cursed, and quickly went to join him. Of course, Tsutanai could push it successfully now, but it would still be off-balance. With the unsteady stone floor, the cart could easily tip over. Didn't the idiot ever think?

Naruto chuckled, jogging beside them as Fugi joined the two boys, "Excited are we?"

"You bet'ca!" Tsutanai puffed, turning to give a hug to the surprised blond. Loki and Fugi both stopped pushing, surprised by the brunette's unexpected action. "You know, you aren't so bad after all! I mean, I really cursed the day you were born this past month, but this shows me you really are pretty cool! I've only ever been one place except Konoha, and that was a rundown old house. Thanks for showing us around!"

Naruto chuckled, "Thanks. I- hey! The cart's moving!"

As one, the three genin whipped their heads around to the runaway cart. It was slowly rolling away from them.

"Ah!" Tsutanai freaked, now hugging their teacher out of fright more than gratitude. "It's a ghost!"

"It's downhill," Loki muttered, rolling his eyes. "This cave leads to an underground deposit. The question is, how do we stop the cart?"

"That's simple enough." Naruto said with a grin, putting out a hand to touch the cool metal cart. Immediately, it stopped moving. "Just do the opposite of pushing chakra, and use it to pull something to you instead. Try it."

Loki got it almost immediately, and Naruto nodded to him in approval. It gave him an odd warm feeling, but he didn't dwell on it. Perhaps it was the wind draft. Slowly, they made their way down, this time pulling instead of pushing. When Loki finally got the hang of it, he allowed his mind to wander.

It was odd, that their destination was somewhere so deep underground. He hadn't seen any mineshafts, so what was the iron for? Why in the world would somebody want a bunch of iron this far from civilization? It stank of something fishy.

Suddenly, Loki felt a hand press his head to the ground, and a hissed 'duck' from their teacher. The air above him exploded in flame, and in a second Naruto's presence was gone. The blond reappeared again on the far side of the cave wall, dodging what seemed like a huge sword from someone. And shurikens. And jutsus.

What…?

It was three on one! His eyes having adjusted to the faint light, Loki could finally make out three dark figures surrounded his teacher, not giving Naruto a moment's respite. Despite his teacher's jounin status, Loki couldn't help but feel that Naruto didn't stand a chance. The Sage of the Winds would be able to take on one missing nin easily, perhaps even two, but three…?

A deep, dark chuckle reverberated across the room, as another figure slowly stepped into the light. He was old, very old, and he was shaking his head as if reprimanding their sensei. "Naruto, Naruto, you are trapped. Do you realize, that your three greatest techniques are sealed? In this underground cave, you cannot summon for fear of collapsing it. With this small room, there are only so many kage bunshins you can create. And I will not give you any time to gather sage chakra. Against my personal guards, you can do nothing."

For the briefest instant, Naruto paused, turning his head to look at the newcomer with narrowed eyes. "Danzo."

* * *

A/n: Well _well_, who expected that? Raised hands please : ) (Or in this case, reviews). Actually though, I think the next chapter will have something that'll be even more surprising than this one.

FYI, I don't believe Naruto will become Hokage. I think he's going to be the leader of the five-country-alliance. Does anyone agree with me? :D


	5. Revelations and Resolutions

Chapter 5- Revelations and Resolutions

As soon as the words left his lips, the sword skimmed past the blond's torso, drawing a thin line of blood. Naruto cursed, turning his head away and kicking upwards to deflect a hand reaching out in a chokehold. A moment later, he disappeared, the place where he had been seconds before set ablaze by a tongue of blue flame.

The old man -the so proclaimed Danzo- clucked his tongue, "My my, Naruto should know better than to get distracted while facing my assassins. Such a shame they didn't manage to finish him."

Tsutanai narrowed his eyes at the man who was insulting their teacher, "Who are you?"

"Oh?" The old man gave a blasted smirk, and somehow Tsutanai found this a thousand times more annoying than any of Loki's, "Did Naruto not just tell you? Why little boy, I am Danzo. Surely, you must know who that is, or did Tsunade bury all of my information so deeply that even a full-fledged ninja cannot recall?"

Tsutanai opened his mouth, ready to argue, but Loki interrupted him. The blond haired boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he stepped up beside Tsutanai, "Tch, please don't embarrass us any further Kato. Surely even you would remember the great traitor Danzo?"

"Yes," Fugi said, white faced, "Danzo, who wanted to be Hokage so badly that he even sabotaged Tsunade-sama. Luckily, the Sage of the Winds was there, and thwarted Danzo's plan. He was meant to be executed, but he had a special technique that no one knew about, and he managed to escape. Thankfully, Konoha managed to capture all of his Root ANBU."

"That's right," Danzo smiled, though it didn't look anything near pleasant, "At least, in the eyes of most of the citizens of Konoha. Someone on this team does know a bit of history. Would you like to join me in my new world, little girl? You have potential, and I could use someone like you."

Fugi shook her head, and Tsutanai inwardly cheered. Yes, good girl!

Danzo twisted his lips, looking displeased, but in an instant that was gone, "Ah well, I suppose I expected that. After all, you are Naruto-kun's genin team, and even I must admit that there's something about that demon container that inspires loyalty in others. Sai after all…. I digress. The fact of the matter is, little girl, that I haven't lost _all_ my Root ANBU. The ones here fighting your sensei, are obviously still loyal to me. And while I have run away in the past, it was not due to fear. I am an old man, and I know better than anyone that one should strike only after careful planning. And so, I have plotted my revenge.

"Of course, I'd still love to be Hokage, but now Konoha itself will reject me. This is all due to the demon container's meddling you see. And the stupid Godaime. So, I must take what is most precious to them, as they did with me. Now, there was this annoying little situation that I have found myself in. Naruto has already lost so much, and there's precious little to take from him anymore. So imagine my delight when I learned that he had taken a genin team! Now… it will be perfect torture for him to watch as you three die painfully one after the other, and he is powerless to stop it. Afterwards, he shall die as well, and then the Godaime may very well die of a broken heart. Isn't that lovely?"

"You're sick," Tsutanai growled, "Really, very, sick."

Beside him, Tsutanai rather thought Loki agreed. The blond's face was pale, his whole body shaking like mad.

Danzo shrugged, a crazed smile on his face, "Its vengeance. I no longer care. Now… to take care of you three…"

There was a flash, and suddenly blood spurted out from Fugi's leg, dying her pants an ugly red. Eyes widening in shock, she fell to the floor, a long cut appearing from the length of her ankle to her knee.

Gritting his teeth, Loki spun, "Who's there?!"

A loud, echoing laughter ran throughout the cave, and an instant later a crazed young man appeared beside Danzo. He grinned widely, his messy hair a dull tinge of red, "Hey hey little kiddies, how would you like to play? Danzo here promised me some fun… so I'll take you guys down slowly, one by one…"

The next instant, he was gone again. Loki suddenly gave out a loud cry, and when Tsutanai whipped around to his teammate, he found the blond's forehead beaded with sweat, his left arm bent at an odd angle. The loud laughter ran throughout the cavern yet again.

Tsutanai felt his heart thud. He looked around wildly, trying to determine the source of the sound. He didn't want to die; and more importantly, he didn't want his teammates to die! But… but he couldn't keep up with this man's speed! It was crazy, and Tsutanai couldn't even see the dude move! All he saw was a flash, and then someone Tsutanai cared about being injured. Now, he was the only uninjured one. Naruto-sensei was likewise too busy to take care of them. Tsutanai had to take care of Fugi and Loki! And suddenly, the world became clearer.

Tsutanai blinked, as his perception became crystal, and the crazed ninja suddenly visible to him. He felt a grim grin spread across his face; finally, he could fight. But, he very much doubted his body could keep up with the ninja's speed. Then the only way was…

He hid his hands under his shirt, shaking as if he were terrified. Well, that part wasn't very hard to fake, actually. He was terrified. Forming the appropriate hand signs under his clothes, he waited until the ninja descended upon him, obviously wanting to destroy one of Tsutanai's limbs. Well, Tsutanai wouldn't let him.

When the redhead made it to Tsutanai's side, the black haired boy struck. Just as the red haired ninja moved in to gut Tsutanai, the amber eyed boy thrust his flaming hands forwards, clutching onto the traitor's leg. The ninja howled, kicking Tsutanai out of the way as he dropped, gritting his teeth. Finally, the annoying laughter stopped.

"Ha," Tsutanai jeered, picking himself off the ground where the ninja had kicked him, "Now you can't use your annoying speed anymore."

The ninja glared hatefully at the smirking kid, "Why you little-!"

Just then, the ninja fell forwards, a surprised expression on his face. Behind the redhead, Loki stared blankly at the ninja, then turned away. Tsutanai blinked, wondering what happened, and waited for the ninja to rise. He didn't. Frowning, he eventually decided that the ninja had simply fallen unconscious from the pain of the burns. It was the only explanation he could think of.

Actually, that explanation made him want to dance. He had defeated the redhead! He hopped over to Fugi, wanting to see her reaction. She was bandaging her leg, but when she felt Tsutanai's presence, she looked up. And then, she gasped.

"What?" Tsutanai grinned, "Astounded by my awesomeness?"

"Tsutanai…" Fugi's voice was low, unsure, "Your eyes… your eyes are blood red…"

* * *

Loki allowed his attention to divert once he realized that Tsutanai and Fugi were going to be alright. Instead, he focused back on Danzo, the old man who had started this all. Ignoring the pain in his left arm and his chest, Loki tried to make his voice as cold as possible, "Surrender old man, as you can see, we're not normal genin."

"No, I can see that. Hm… what were the chances that the last surviving Uchiha was on your team? He's a bastard I suppose; what was his last name? Ah well, that bloodline limit won't help you with me…" Smirking, Danzo's one eye slowly bled a dark red, "And trust me, I am _much_ more experienced in using the Sharingin."

The Sharingin? Loki felt the little hairs on the back of his neck rise. What was that? If he were to be honest with himself, it freaked him out. An unknown bloodline limit that he had never heard about; it could be… worrying. Nonetheless, "It matters not what you have, you can not defend against me."

Danzo chuckled, "Do you really think that? Or are you just buying time for when your sensei can win and rescue the three of you? I admit, there is a slight -very slight- possibly Naruto could win against my three guards, but after that…? Boy, I am a kage level ninja; I'd have to be, to be even considered for the Hokage. Naruto will not win this round, and you will only lose if you stay with him. Boy, why don't you join me? You have potential. I know it was you who killed my subordinate."

"What makes you think I'll join you?"

"Your eyes," Danzo's eyes glittered, "The eyes of an avenger. The eyes of someone who has given their life for revenge. Someone like me. Surely boy, you understand my plight?"

Loki tensed; what did Danzo know? Besides, they weren't the same at all. He had a right to revenge, and Danzo… Danzo didn't. It wasn't the same; his father had murdered his whole family, had taken everything from him. That hadn't happened to Danzo.

"Oh?" The old man cocked his head, smiling a toothy grin, "Ah, I see. Your story's more like the Uchiha's, isn't it? You think my cause isn't worth it, and I'll never understand your pain? Let me guess, you're seeking revenge from someone who murdered your whole family, and you believe that your reason is a greater cause than mine?"

Loki felt his eyes widen in spite of himself. How had Danzo known?! How had…?

"It's not hard to guess," The old man smirked, "Stories like those are easy to come by. Boy, realize this- we're not different at all. What is it that drives you? You must realize, that even if you murder the man who killed your family, you won't get your family back. It's not like they'll even rest easier. So why then, are you trying to find this murderer? If not for your family, then who?"

Loki shook, but he couldn't help it. His normally calm demeanour was falling away, as Danzo hit each and every point Loki had ever had doubts about. But… but it wasn't like that! It wasn't! It couldn't!

"It's so you can rest easier, isn't it? Your motives are no purer than mine. You know that if you kill the murderer, than you can feel better. You know that if you pay back the one who had taken away your dignity with equal humiliation and cruelty, you will finally be able to rest. I am operating on the same principal; so why then, are you blaming me? Wouldn't that just make you a hypocrite, boy?"

"That's not true," He wasn't exactly sure what wasn't true yet, but something about the old man's words just didn't ring right with him. The fact that his motives were no purer? No, Loki was sure his reasoning was justified. The man had murdered his whole family after all- betrayed them. Yes! That was it! "I was betrayed, Konoha didn't betray you."

"Didn't they?" Danzo shrugged, spreading his palms out as if he were asking an obvious question. "I've worked all my life for the good of Konoha, and then they just throw me out as if it were nothing. When the Sandaime died, shouldn't I have been made Hokage? But no, instead they go and find the woman who has sworn that she would never come back to Konoha. If that isn't betrayal, then what is?"

"It's not the same!"

"Isn't it? Anyways, so what if that person betrayed you? Does you going after him help anyone in anyway due to his betrayals?"

"…Killing him will ensure that he'll hurt no one else."

Danzo barked out a laugh. It sounded odd on him. "But that isn't the reason your going after him is it? Boy, the motive's just as important as the actions. You're not going after this 'murderer' because he's dangerous; you're going after him for self-retribution! Even if he repented all his sins, and begged forgiveness, you'd still kill him without a second glance!"

Loki opened his mouth to argue, and found that he couldn't. What Danzo was saying… was true. Loki really didn't think he had it in his heart to forgive the man who had murdered his family. Even if the man went down on his knees and begged forgiveness, even if…

A slow smirk stretched across Danzo's face, "See? You are no different from me."

No… no… Loki couldn't bare the thought of being so similar to the vile man; it was disgusting, wrong, and a sickening comparison. It was different! That man deserved to die, no matter how he felt about it. One didn't just up and kill their own family! No one sane would do that!

But… but what if he weren't sane? What if his father had indeed gone _insane_ from being on the ANBU taskforce? Then how would Loki react? Would Loki still want to kill that man? The answer as it stood, was yes.

He felt a bit sickened by that revelation. Would he really kill a man who didn't have their wits about them? Who hadn't known what they were doing? But the fact was, that man had destroyed Loki's family, Loki's life.

Loki squeezed his eyes shut; he didn't want to think about this.

"What's the matter," Danzo's voice was as annoying as ever, "Stunned by the truth of it all? If you're afraid Konoha might not accept you, worry not, because _I'll_ accept you. And I'll help you get the strength you need to take your revenge. Konoha won't let you, you know. They're much too soft."

He didn't want to listen to Danzo! This time, as Danzo went on his long speech again, Loki did not pay attention. Instead, he focused on something deep within himself; an ancient power. It took a lot of time to gather, but Danzo wasn't paying any attention to him. Good.

As soon as he finished, Loki's grey eyes snapped open, piercing in their ferocity. Danzo stopped mid-sentence, looking a little surprised.

"Enough," Loki said coolly, placing the thumbs and forefingers of his two hands in the shape of a window. He raised his hands, capturing Danzo's chest in his view… and released his power. Danzo's eyes widened, a hand rising to his chest as he toppled forwards, eyes still wide open in their crazed lunacy.

It was a shame, Loki thought coldly, that Danzo hadn't heeded his warning about his bloodline limit. Still, he couldn't complain. As much as he knew he was a genius, he also knew he had his limits. Taking on a jounin one on one without the element of surprise for instance, was still outside of his league. He still needed to train it.

But, it was an accomplishment nonetheless to take out a supposed 'kage level' ninja. Feeling a tight-lipped grin, Loki looked around for his teammates. Tsutanai and Fugi stood over the ninja they had been fighting, talking in hushed tones over something. Seeing them, Loki felt an odd feeling in his chest. It was as if… as if his worries brought up by Danzo were melted by the sight of them, and he didn't need to think about vengeance or his confusing thoughts in their presence.

Loki took a step towards them, allowing a small relieved smile to spread across his face, when suddenly he felt his world turn a little blurry. He lurched, falling to the ground, a paralyzing pain spreading across his body. The last thing he saw were his two teammates running towards him; and then his heart stopped beating.

* * *

A/n: Danzo not dead, worry not. He has that freaky Sharingin thing after all. Woah… anyone flash to Death Note about the heart attack thing? Hehe… I promise it's not what you think.

* * *

Fugi's hand went to her mouth in horror as she saw her teammate fall. No! No, this could not be happening! Except… except that it really was! Chocking back a sob, Fugi hobbled over to where Loki lay, with Tsutanai supporting her. As they made it to their blond teammate, Fugi crashed to the ground, laying her head near his neck to listen for a heartbeat. There was none.

She started hyperventilating. Tsutanai finally noticed. Frowning, he took his gaze from where Naruto-sensei and the three other ninja were fighting, and starting shaking her, "What's the matter?"

"Loki-" She gasped out, "He doesn't- he doesn't have a-"

Thankfully, Tsutanai seemed to get the gist of what she was saying. He quickly shoved her out of the way, shooting her a slightly apologetic look as he quickly started pumping at Loki's chest.

"Quick," He ordered her, "Mouth to mouth! We were taught this in the academy, remember?"

Fugi nodded frantically, and quickly did as the dark haired boy asked. It was a blessing not to think, and only follow instructions. When Loki's heart finally started beating steadily again, Fugi found her thoughts going somewhere uncomfortable. Why _hadn't_ she remembered how to perform CPR? Tsutanai was so calm, just like Loki. And, they had both taken down a ninja. Why couldn't she be like them?

Just then, Tsutanai swore.

Fugi glanced at him, "What's the matter?"

The black haired boy's attention was focused elsewhere; his red eyes following every one of Naruto-sensei's movements, "It's sensei, he just got wounded. Still, he's holding on. But, he's not winning, either."

Fugi looked to where Tsutanai was gazing, but found her sight only met with blurs. This level was much to fast for her to follow, but somehow Tsutanai's new red eyes could see everything. This… this gave her an idea. It would require Loki though, and she was loathe to wake him, especially after seeing his wounds. Still… still this was the only way to victory, or at least, of what Fugi could see. If she didn't suggest this, then wouldn't it be the same as if she had let them die? Loki was willing to risk his life, and she would have to also have that confidence that he would survive.

Fugi took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, "Tsutanai… wake Loki. I have a plan about how to help Naruto-sensei."

* * *

The ash blond boy's eyes fluttered open, and Naruto couldn't help his smile of relief. Yes, the old hag had personally healed Loki, and assured that Loki was alright, but Naruto was still worried. As were Loki's teammates- but they were in their own hospital rooms.

Loki groaned, and squeezed his eyes shut again. He let out a few deep breaths, and then moved one hand to his chest, an expression of surprise on his face. Then, he finally seemed to register where he was, and opened his eyes fully, this time forcing them to stay open as he looked around the room. "We won?"

"Why do you make it sound like a question?" Naruto grinned, "Of course we won! Though…" Here, Naruto's grin slid off his face, "Mind telling me what you did over there? The old hag said that you nearly died of a heart attack. And lo and behold, apparently the redhead guy you were fighting and Danzo also died of a heart attack."

Loki shifted uncomfortably, turning his head to look in the opposite direction. "…it's the Maekawa bloodline limit. We can inflict whatever injury we wish on an enemy without touching them, as long as we have enough time. I've studied the human anatomy, but not very deeply, so the only effective way I knew could kill for sure was stopping the heard. Tsutanai made the redhead stay in place long enough for me to stop his heart, and Danzo rambled. I… I'm not sure why I was affected though…"

"But you have a guess," Naruto's voice was flat, but he couldn't help it.

Loki's lips twisted, "Yes, I have a guess. When I first finished off the redhead, I felt a slight twinge in my chest. I think… that there is a price that comes with my bloodline limit. Whatever I do to others, my body experiences the same thing to a lesser extent."

"Then… I don't want you to use that ability again."

Loki's head snapped to face Naruto's, "What?"

"You heard me," Naruto tried to sound as authoritative as he could; now he could finally understand off of the old hag's 'unreasonable' requests. "That ability damages your own body, and the more you use it the more of a chance you'll die. I don't want you to use it in my presence."

"Then how will I practice it?" Loki asked in frustration, "Perfect it? Are you telling me to give up on my bloodline?"

"Yes," Naruto stated bluntly, "Look, you don't have to depend on a bloodline. I don't have one, and the Hokage doesn't have one, and we're plenty strong, aren't we? If you're just worried about being strong then you can just train!"

"…that's not enough. It's not enough to defeat that man."

Really! Really… Naruto let out a faint sigh; he hadn't been planning to tell anyone this, but… "I had a friend who was very similar to you. My best friend, in fact. His brother murdered his whole clan, and much like you, he went crazy for revenge."

Naruto gulped, feeling his throat close up. He didn't want to talk about this- he couldn't. Why was he saying this stuff anyways? That was all in the past and… Loki's blank eyes met him, and Naruto suddenly knew that if he didn't want a repeat of the past, he would have to continue, no matter how much it hurt him.

The blond haired jounin took a deep breath, trying to collect the bravery and determination he was known for, "That was when he was eight. Sasuke was his name. Later, he and I were put on the same genin team. We had a relationship not too unlike yours and Tsutanai's, though we both knew that it was each other that we trusted the most. Then, one day, Sasuke was offered power, the power to defeat his brother. His brother had been an ANBU commander by age 13, a genius among geniuses as some would say. Sasuke probably felt it would be hopeless to defeat his brother if Sasuke didn't accept the power, no matter how tainted it was. I don't think that was true- but I suppose we'll never know, will we?"

"So he accepted it?" Loki asked quietly.

"Yeah… yeah he did. He left the village, and did all sorts of filthy things for his power. When I found him again, he had taken his revenge. You know what he told me?"

"That revenge didn't offer anything?" Loki asked acidly, "That it brings nothing but sorrow?"

Naruto let out a bitter laugh, "Brat, don't think you know everything. No, Sasuke told me that he had never had a chance to defeat his brother, tainted power or no. It wasn't only him that was getting stronger after all- his brother was as well."

"…So you're saying I'll never have my revenge?"

"No, I'm warning you not to throw away everything for revenge. Remember the genin test you took with the bells? If you had worked together with the other two, you could have very well defeated me. It's the same with any strong opponent, including the man you're after. Don't throw away your teammates- helping is what they're for. If you absolutely must take revenge, at least take your team with you."

"…This is a private matter."

"Private how?" He couldn't help the sarcastic edge his voice had taken- really, he couldn't.

"Because it was," Now it was Loki's turn to swallow uncomfortably, his next words coming out barely higher than a whisper, "Because it was my father who murdered my family."

A part of Naruto's heart broke on hearing those words. It was almost too sad, what a family would do to each other. But… but Naruto was never one for staying still and crying about the past. "More reason you shouldn't use your bloodline limit on him them! If he's your dad, he's probably already mastered… wait, did you say your father? As in Maekawa Katsu?"

"Yes…" Loki's eyes narrowed, "Do you know him?"

"He was… he was…" Oh darn! Where had Naruto heard his name before? Why couldn't his memory be better…! Ah… "He was an old ANBU commander, a really good one. He had this amazing ability with one hit KO, though I suppose that's your bloodline limit hun? Anyway, I think Shizune mentioned that Maekawa always someone managed to snap his opponent's brain connections, though she never knew how he did it. If it affected him to a lesser extent…"

"He could have suffered from brain damage," Loki whispered in horror.

"Yeah," Naruto said sadly, "I know that doesn't really excuse what he did to your family, but can you please try to understand him a bit more? I want this cycle of hatred to end, because it's so meaningless. So what if you kill that man? His friends will then murder you, and then we'll murder his friends because we're your team, and it'll go on and on. There isn't an end, and only a future of killing."

Loki still looked a little shell-shocked about the brain damage thing, and Naruto wondered if he wasn't telling the genin too much to take in at once. But then, Loki nodded, showing that he had understood, "I don't… can you please leave me alone for a little while?"

"Sure," Besides, he had to visit Tsutanai and Fugi too. Though… Naruto wondered if he could deal with Tsutanai. After all, apparently Tsutanai was the actual 'last' Uchiha… Perhaps he'd go visit Fugi first. With a nod towards Loki that the genin didn't notice, Naruto flashed out of the room, and appeared in Fugi's.

The girl was sitting up on her hospital bed, reading a light novel. She looked none the worst for wear, but then Naruto supposed, that was also due to Tsunade's amazing abilities. Naruto grinned, "How are you?"

Startled, Fugi looked up, and as soon as she saw Naruto, a warm smile spread across her face, "Sensei! How are the others?"

"They're okay," Heh, figures that the girl would ask about her teammates first. It just showed what a kind heart she had, "Now how are _you_?"

"Oh," Fugi blushed slightly, "I'm good. I didn't even get injured really, compared to the others. By the way Naruto-sensei, weren't you-?"

"I'm a jounin; I heal fast. Plus, Tsunade herself checked me over." He didn't mention the fact that she had also personally healed the three of them per his request. "By the way, you did great."

Fugi's flush deepened, "I didn't really- I didn't do much- you were the one- Tsutanai and Loki-"

"Sure," Naruto cut in, almost feeling a sense of déjà vu as he was reminded of yet another girl who stuttered all the time. He quickly pushed that thought from his mind; no, his purpose for visiting Fugi was that he didn't have to think about all that stuff. The past didn't apply to Fugi in any way!

"Er, Naruto-sensei?"

"Oh yeah, hehe… I was going to say that while they may have taken out the other ninjas, you were the brains behind helping me out! Without you, I would have been toast! And, your sword technique did get better. Keep at it, and you'll soon give me a run for my money."

"Ah… ah Naruto-sensei, I really don't think…"

"Be more confident girl!" This… this personality was just too familiar. Really… maybe they had the same home situation? "No matter what your parents might say, they're secretly proud of you. And they should be- you've done a great job, Fugi."

Fugi didn't look convinced, and a nurse came in before Naruto could argue more. Sighing, Naruto left the wing, and decided to visit Tsutanai instead. After all, he couldn't exactly ignore one of his students, no matter how…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO STAY IN HERE?!"

Oh boy, looked like his student was arguing with someone already. Sure enough, when Naruto pushed open the door to his student's room, a furious nurse stood opposite the genin, her nostrils flaring in rage. Seeming to sense Naruto's entrance, the nurse turned to the blond, a baleful expression on her face, "You deal with him!"

Without another word, the nurse stalked out of the room, leaving a stumped Naruto and a fuming Tsutanai.

"I shouldn't have to stay in here," The dark haired boy grumbled, crossing his arms, "I mean, I'm almost completely cured. I can totally heal fine by myself; I don't need a stupid hospital."

Naruto sighed; why was being a teacher so hard? He hated being responsible. "As much as I agree with you, I'll get in trouble if you leave, so don't leave. Or, I'll make you regret it."

Tsutanai gulped, then after a moment shook his head, "I'm not afraid of you! I got this Sharingin thingey now! I've heard about it! I can copy all the jutsus I want, and I'll surpass you in no time! I don't need to be-"

He was cut off as Naruto rammed the idiot's head into to sideboard, holding the dark haired boy by the throat. Tsutanai looked at Naruto with wide, fearful eyes, but Naruto couldn't bring himself to care less. That boy had gone too far.

"Don't you," Naruto hissed, "Ever say something like that again. Have you also heard how many people had died because of the Sharingin? Have you?!"

Shocked, Tsutanai frantically nodded, looking fearful.

With a sigh, Naruto pulled back, watching as his student rubbed his neck painfully, shooting Naruto wary looks. Naruto leaned against the way, staring out the window, "The Sharingin is a cursed bloodline, and while I'm not saying that you can't use it, I'll give you one warning not to depend on it. By copying techniques, your body is not learning the jutsu properly. Then, if you try to perform it, you don't know how much chakra it uses, how damaging it could be. It could destroy you. And more than that… the Sharingin gives you arrogance, the feeling that you can do anything. You're invincible, because you can see every move the enemy makes. But… but arrogance is often deceiving, and I've had my fair share of both opponents and friends who've fallen due to arrogance. Be careful with that bloodline."

"…" Tsutanai snorted, "Don't worry, I'm not a fool. I know there are no shortcuts to being the best."

Naruto smiled; Tsutanai didn't know how much those words meant to him. With one final nod, Naruto bid the dark haired Uchiha goodbye, and bounded back to his apartment. There was a room in there, that he had not touched for a very long time. It was dusty by now, and the boxes occupying it had all acquired a fine film of dirt, but with Naruto's kage bunshins, it didn't take much work to clean. When he was finally done, Naruto went up to an especially large box, with the symbol of a fan painted upon it. Tsutanai, who had no family, might appreciate it. It wasn't like Naruto was doing anything with it anyway.

He opened the lid, then stopped, the mirror catching his eye. He paused at his reflection- the reflection of every other jounin. Navy blue shirt, black gloves, jounin vest. What had he been thinking, wearing these? Shaking his head with a slight smile, Naruto quickly stripped, throwing his old clothes into the trash. Walking to his closet, he flung open the door, digging through the dark colours for what he preferred. Ah, there it was.

Grinning, Naruto shrugged on his black and orange jacket, zipping the familiar outfit on a sigh of relish. It was still as comfortable as always. A few days ago, he would have never considered putting on his old outfit, but… everything wasn't perfect yet, it would be a long time before Naruto could do any of the things he used to, but he was getting there. With a slight, sincere smile, Naruto shunshined to the Hokage Tower, ignoring the protests of the secretary as he walked up to the main office and flung open the door.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork, an annoyed expression on her face, "What, brat?"

Naruto leaned against her desk, grinning from ear to ear, "Hey old hag, can I still take you up on that offer of Rokudaime?"

THE END

* * *

A/n: Why is it ending so soon? Quite frankly, I just wrote this because I felt that there weren't many new gen fics, but then I found this great one, and so my aspirations for this story kinda fell. Check it out, it's 'Red Eyes' by JFalcon. Very nicely done.

If I ever do get my muse again, I might continue this into the Chuunin exams, but for now, it's complete. I'm sorry for not including Fugi's plan, because I was too lazy to write it. Again, if I do continue this, I'll revise this chapter so it'll make more sense, be more detailed, ect. It's kind of a messy wrap-up, but then very ending was always meant to be like this. Hope you liked it.


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